Reverse of Arcadia: A Novelization
by Irako of the Desert
Summary: A novelization of the World Championshionship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia DS game. An attempt to explain that extra member of Team Satisfaction/The Enforcers, and expand upon the story. Rated M for cursing, character deaths, and graphic violence. Chapter 4: It's time for old friends and new to join together against a darker threat.
1. Prologue

**Prologue**

_Crack_.

"Think you're tough? Think you can still take on Security?"

_Smack_.

"How tough are you now? _How tough are you now, huh?_"

_Kick_.

Some part of Kiryu's mind registered the blows. He could hear the sound of flesh hitting flesh echo off the walls of his cell. The rest of his brain was numb and foggy with constant _pain_. There was so much of it that his mind had pretty much shut down because it couldn't handle it. Everything was dark, and Kiryu didn't know whether it was because his eyes were closed or if he'd gone blind from the beating.

"You think…" _Kick_ "You can just…" _Kick_. "Kill a Security officer?!_ Do you, you little shit?!_"

Kiryu vaguely realized the kicks were connecting with his body, but sensation was beginning to deaden. It was like he wasn't even in his own skin anymore. It was just dark, and even the shouts of the fat, dark-skinned warden were fading away. There was just darkness.

Just….

Darkness….

Takasu Armstrong _tch_ed with annoyance. "Trash… He's passed out already." He picked his nose and pulled out a pinch of the hairs inside, not even flinching at the momentary sting. "The little bitch." He blew the hairs all over the prisoner's unconscious body and turned to walk out of the cell. The kid had killed a Security office and yet couldn't stand up to a few punches and kicks? What the hell? Takasu hadn't even gotten warmed up. The guard outside averted his gaze and held out a towel, which Takasu grabbed without a word. He began wiping off all the blood from the beating on his knuckles, whistling casually as he headed toward the next prisoner to be punished.

A voice came out of the darkness that surrounded Kiryu. It was deep and rumbly, invoking images of mountains scraping together over eons.

_**You died, you know…**_

_Did I?_

_**Yes…**_

_Oh._

Kiryu had been wondering what happened, yet the realization that he was dead didn't bother him as much as he thought it would. It was almost a relief to escape from the pain of his body, and the deeper pain of his friends' betrayal. Kiryu welcomed the darkness as a release from all his troubles and reached to embrace it.

_**Don't you want to live…?**_

Kiryu considered this for a moment. The Voice sounded a little perturbed. There was something vaguely terrifying about it as well, but, truth be told, he was _tired_. He couldn't muster up the energy to worry about it. Besides, he was dead. He was supposed to be beyond worries now, right?

Except…

An image of Yusei floated up before him. The image of that Security officer with a hand on Yusei's shoulder. Yusei looking towards Kiryu with such _hatred_.

_**Yeessss…. You want revenge on him. It's ****his**** fault you died, right…?**_

Kiryu had to think about this for a moment. It was hard to think, and it kept getting harder the longer he took. Did he really want revenge? Yusei was his best friend, loyal and steadfast.

_**But he betrayed you…**_

That was true. A dim rage built up in Kiryu. His so-called loyal and steadfast best friend had betrayed him, and the rest of his friends had just stood by and let him do it. The Enforcers had let their leader go without a fight because _they had betrayed him_. It was Yusei's fault for leading the Enforcers in mutiny against him. He would still be alive if it weren't for Yusei, dammit!

_**Don't you want revenge…?**_

The rage had become an inferno now, and Kiryu no longer reached for the oblivion of death. He responded to the Voice with great force.

_Yes! I want to make those bastards pay for betraying me!_

The Voice seemed pleased by this.

_**I can help you. All you have to do… Is embrace me… And free me… Then… We will destroy those who betrayed you…**_

Kiryu saw the source of the Voice then. It was a huge giant, bound by the earth and glowing with eerie purple light. It howled in rage, and Kiryu's rage responded to it.

_**Free me!**_

Kiryu knew what to do somehow. He could see that if he just _willed_ it…

The earth fragmented, then shattered and the giant howled triumphantly. Kiryu howled back, delirious with the knowledge that he'd done that with nothing more than a thought! It gave him a rush to imagine that he controlled such power! The howl was cut off, though, as the giant suddenly seized him.

_**Foolish mortal, you are bound to me. I give you back your life, but you will do my will. We must defeat the servants of the Crimson Dragon and bring back the Lord of the Underworld! We must destroy the Signers!**_

The giant boomed with laughter, covering up the sound of Kiryu's screams. The hand began squeezing and _squeezing_, and the darkness was returning…

Suddenly, Kiryu was back in his own body.

It didn't hurt.

Kiryu frantically checked himself all over for the horrendous marks of his beating that he was _sure_ were supposed to be there, except they weren't. His skin was unbroken and smooth, and the only thing marring him was the Mark burned into his face.

His clothes were different, too. Instead of the standard prisoner uniform, he was wearing… What _was_ he wearing? They were black with blue designs, but he'd never owned anything like that in his life. Then Kiryu saw that he wasn't in the jail cell anymore. He was in Satellite, in the heart of the slums. How in the world had _that_ happened?

Kiryu finally noticed he was on a Duel Runner. It looked like his clothes, kind of, since it was black with blue designs. He was impressed with how _powerful_ it looked. This thing would outrun any Security officer without even breaking a sweat.

_It could crush Yusei._

The thought surprised him at first. Yusei was his friend, wasn't he? Then the Mark gave a painful jolt, and he remembered his contract.

He had to destroy the Signers.

Yusei was a Signer.

Yusei was going to die.

After that, the rest of the Enforcers would pay.

Especially… _her_...

He revved the Duel Runner, his body instinctively knowing how to move and how control the vehicle. He knew where to go. It was where all the Dark Signers went. He was going to the source of Zero Reverse.

_**Author's Note (A/N):**__** Heya, this would be the second fanfic I've published on . I'm really only doing it so that I can fulfill the beta reader requirements, but that's no excuse not to write well, is it? I hope you enjoyed the prologue, even if it **__**is**__** a little mundane. The first chapter will be up pretty quick.**_

_**I wanted to take this chance to share the writing process of this fic. SPOILER ALERTS AHEAD IF YOU HAVEN'T PLAYED REVERSE OF ARCADIA! I recently unlocked all the card packs on my **__**Yugioh! World Championship 2010: Reverse of Arcadia**__** DS game (FINALLY!) and decided to play through the storyline again with existing data. I decided that I'll novelize the game as I play through, expanding the scenes and coming up with a back-story for that extra member of the Enforcers that you play as that wasn't included in the anime. It's not meant to follow the anime exactly and I **__**will**__** be taking artistic liberties with the story. If it bothers you, try to think of it as an alternate universe.**_

_**You may have noticed that I used the Japanese name for Kalin Kessler, but both versions' names for Mr. Armstrong. That's because I watched the anime in Japanese. It's way easier to take **__**CARD GAMES ON MOTORCYCLES**__** seriously when all the angst and death and danger isn't censored by 4KIDS. When characters have their first and last name in Japanese, I use the Japanese version. When characters have just one name, I combine the English and Japanese versions to come up with first and last. For Takasu Armstrong, I just arbitrarily decided to make his first name 'Takasu' because the 'Mr.' in 'Mr. Armstrong' indicates that Armstrong is a last name, even though I'm pretty sure Takasu was his family name in the Japanese version.**_

_**Anyways, hope you'll stick around for the next chapter. Drop a comment to tell me what you liked or what you didn't like if you've got the time.**_


	2. The Call for Help

Chapter 1: Awakening - Arcadia Movement

The Call for Help

_Somebody…_

_Somebody… Please help me…!_

Renei Faar couldn't see who was pleading for help, but she could feel the desperation in the call. This was a rather odd occurrence. Usually, when she was brought into the lab for tests on her psychic abilities by Divine, she floated in a dark haze with no light or sound while Seria watched the monitors.

This time, there was a voice calling for help. It sounded like a little girl…

_How can I help her? Where is she?_

Seria watched the monitor that showed the subject's brain waves, nervous system, respiratory system, and circulatory system patterns. Nothing new about the waves today. Seria didn't understand why Divine didn't just give up? It had been a year already, and the subject hadn't shown any sign of psychic ability or connection to the Spirit World yet. The waves just went up and down in regular old _normal people_ patterns. These tests were a waste of time and resources that could be better used on duelists with actual psychic powers.

Suddenly, the brain waves jerked wildly. Seria stared at it, wondering if she'd just imagined it out of boredom. As she watched, it jerked again. Almost immediately after, the brain waves were wildly dancing. Triumphantly, she said, "Divine! A change has been detected in the test subject's body!"

He spun around from where he'd been silently contemplating the inert form of the subject to see her monitor. "What is it?!" His voice sounded excited and he seemed to _crackle _to her psychic senses.

She pointed excitedly to the brain waves that were now vibrating like a taut string. "See this wavy pattern? It's likely that the subject's communicating with the Spirit World." Seria felt giddy with glee. Divine _hadn't_ been wrong about the subject.

He turned back to look at the semi-unconscious subject with a faint hint of pride. "Really? Then all of our research up to this point hasn't been in vain…" He studied the young woman for a moment more, then seemed to come to a decision.

"Okay, that's enough for today. Maybe it's time we put this one to work for us… Even if this subject can't use psychic powers, I'm sure we'll have a decent duelist on our hands."

Seria nodded and began fiddling with the instruments that had put the subject into a semi-unconscious state, slowly bringing her out of it. The entire time, she couldn't help humming happily. After all, Divine had been _right_. Just like he always was…

Renei felt herself being drawn out of that dark haze. For a moment, she tried to resist. She _had_ to find out who called for her help! Who was that little girl? _Where_ was she? How could Renei find her? But the struggle to stay in the dark haze wasn't successful, and the sounds and lights of the lab came back to her gradually. Finally, she heard Seria say "Oh! The subject's eyes have opened!" just as she looked up to see Divine. He smiled down at her with affection and said "When our friend here is able to walk, take our little protégé to her room."

Renei's heart leapt at that approval she saw in his eyes. Divine was such a good friend. He was her protector in this place, and she was important to him. He'd been so patient, even though she couldn't reach the Spirit World like he wanted. He'd told her that these tests would help her get there, and that she'd be an important part of helping his psychic duelists when she could come and go from the Spirit World at will. She heard him add, "But make sure no one realizes that this subject is not a psychic duelist. If anyone else finds this out, our secret might be leaked to the outside world."

He'd explained that to her a long time ago, but Renei was glad Divine was repeating it for Seria's sake. The psychic scientist responded with a snappy "Yes, sir", and returned to her work. Divine looked back to Renei and smiled.

"Well done. You reached the Spirit World today, I think."

Renei became confused. "I did?"

"Well, the monitor went nuts, so I assume you did. Did you see anything this time?" His eyes had gone a little hard, and Renei wondered why.

"W-well… I heard someone calling to me…" Renei started, but stopped, an uneasy feeling churning her stomach. She didn't know why. Divine was her protector. He'd given her a home in the Arcadia Movement when she didn't know where to go, even though she wasn't a psychic duelist. She _owed_ him. She should be stumbling all over herself in order to tell him every bit of what she'd experienced!

But still…

For some reason, she didn't think she should tell Divine about the little girl asking for help. There was this nagging voice in the back of her head that told her to _keep it quiet_ and _don't tell anyone_.

"What did they say?" The hardness around his eyes was gone, and he looked at her eagerly. Renei hesitated. She shouldn't lie to Divine, she owed him everything. He was her _protector_.

And yet…

Her instincts were saying to lie. She needed to keep the little girl a secret if she wanted to help her. And Renei knew she _had_ to help her.

Guilt made her insides twist as she said, "I don't know. It was kind of far away, so I couldn't hear them well enough."

Divine looked a little disappointed, but gave her a smile anyway. "That's alright. You _heard_ someone in the Spirit World, and that's a start. We'll figure out how to actually get you there, don't worry. It just takes time, you'll see."

Renei hated lying to him. She wasn't even sure why she had lied. She just smiled back and waited for sensation to return to her limbs. After these tests, she was always unable to move. The feeling came back after an hour, during which Seria fussed at her, but Renei didn't mind. Seria was nice most of the time. After waiting a couple of minutes to ensure that Seria was indeed taking care of Renei, Divine left the lab.

Renei contemplated her actions after Divine left. She'd _lied_ to her protector. Why had she done that?

Well, for one, her instincts had told her to. She had amnesia, and Divine was always telling her to rely on her instincts, since they might actually be repressed memories. Her instincts had saved her in duels countless times, and she trusted them. But why would her instincts tell her to lie to Divine?

For the bazillionth time, she tried to remember back past the time she'd first met Divine. She'd been standing in a street near the Arcadia Movement with no clue as to where she was or how she'd gotten there. All she was certain of was her name. Then Divine had appeared and begun talking to her. It hadn't taken long for him to figure out that she had no memory, and had pledged right then and there to protect her.

Renei squeezed her eyes shut in frustration. She couldn't ever get past that one memory of meeting Divine! The more she tried, the more it looped in her brain, over and over. Divine told her that it was ok, that she didn't need to remember. He told her that whatever had made her forget everything must have been pretty bad, otherwise it wouldn't be so hard to remember. It never stopped her from trying, though, because deep down, she felt like it was _important_ that she remember. Gritting her teeth, she tried again.

And again.

And again.

Finally, Renei was able to move again and stood stiffly. Seria led her out of the lab and through the Arcadia Movement Headquarters, but instead of taking the usual route back to Renei's old quarters, she went the other direction. Renei realized they were headed to the duelist wing and wondered why she was being put up there.

Seria must have sensed her confusion, because she said, "Divine wants you to get to know the other psychic duelists. If you're going to be helping them, it makes sense that you get to know them."

Renei nodded with understanding. It made perfect sense, and in a way, she was glad. Divine was her protector, but he was so busy with managing everything in the Arcadia Movement that he rarely had time to spend just with her. She hadn't admitted it before, but she'd been kind of lonely. Seria was nice, but she wasn't a _friend_. Now Renei was going to meet new people and maybe even make friends.

Seria stopped in front of one of the doors and gestured for Renei to enter. Renei did, and was surprised to find two young men standing in the room already, dressed in the same belted surcoat, generic duel disk and loose shirt and trousers that were the uniform for all Arcadia Movement members. Something deep in the back of her mind rebelled at the thought of all that _uniformity_, and she was surprised to find herself wishing for something else to wear. But Divine had given her this so that she would belong…

Seria spoke nonchalantly, gesturing to the two young men and the room in general. "This will be your room from today. If there's anything you're not sure about, please ask these two guys." She dug into one of her pockets and pulled out a deck. "Other than that, here's a deck that you can use." Renei accepted the deck and looked at it. For some reason, it felt weird in her hands. Maybe because it hadn't come from Divine? He'd always given her decks to use in duels before, and there hadn't been any sense of that weirdness then. For some reason, this deck felt _wrong_. The cards didn't belong to her, and she felt almost like they knew it.

Seria hadn't noticed, and continued speaking. "Since the deck has already been created, be careful not to mix the cards up." Renei almost snorted at that. She didn't_ have_ any other cards to mix up with this deck. She began looking through the deck and saw it was based on Psychic-monsters as Seria talked to the other two. Renei tried not to groan. She _really_ disliked Psychic-monsters, with all their Life Point-sucking abilities.

"You'll be receiving your instructions from Master Sayer soon. You two better be ready, too!" The guys gave a snappy salute across the chest in response. Seria left them alone, and silence settled over the room.

One of the guys gave a little cough, and said a little too cheerfully, "A pleasure to meet you! My name's Okita. I'm sure we'll get along smashingly!" He gestured to the other kid, and Renei noticed he had small glasses perched on his nose. It made him look bookish, and not very threatening at all.

"We just got here ourselves, so I'm afraid we probably can't answer too many of your questions."

He shrugged apologetically, and Renei nodded in understanding. The blond one approached her with a suspicious look and scrutinized her. He didn't seem as friendly as Okita, and Renei found herself analyzing his weak points in case she needed to defend herself. She hadn't even known she could do that, but here she was, planning to jab at the throat first with a stiff hand, then probably bring her knee up into his crotch…

His sharp voice startled her, and she nearly lashed out at him, but stopped when he realized he hadn't made a threatening move yet.

"Some new blood, eh? I'm Liquid. What's your name?"

She hesitated for a minute, trying to gather her thoughts. Her instincts were telling her what to do again. Liquid was the kind of guy who tested a person, and if she didn't prove she was tougher than he was, he would mercilessly bully her forever. Renei didn't want that to happen, and her instincts were telling her to take an aggressive stance. So she straightened up and stared him straight in the eye.

"My name's Renei." Her voice was strong and she was relieved it didn't crack with nervousness. After all, he might not buy it… No, she shouldn't think like that! He was a psychic duelist, yes, and could probably kill her with those powers, but he didn't know that. She forced herself to think only badass thoughts and _believe_ she was tougher than Liquid.

It must have worked, because he relaxed slightly and replied a little more casually. "Renei, eh? Well, good to have you on board."

Renei gave a little inward sigh of relief. She'd gone from being potential bully bait to potential equal in that moment. Things would be easier from now on.

Liquid looked at her oddly, and she realized the room had gone silent again. "What're you staring into space for? You got anything goin' on upstairs there?" But his voice wasn't hostile as he said this, only teasing. "Okay then, what's that fella's name over there?"

Now it was Renei's turn to give him an odd look, and she said "He's Okita."

Liquid nodded, and he said "Yeah, that's right. It's Okita. All right, so where are we now?"

Renei frowned and tried to get a sense of where in relation to the lab and her old quarters this room was. She wasn't great with directions in buildings, especially within the Arcadia Movement Headquarters. Every hall looked the same to her…

Liquid mistook her hesitation for ignorance, and he sounded annoyed. "Hey now, get a hold of yourself! We're in the Arcadia Movement headquarters, right?" He gave a mock sigh of disgust and said, "Okay, give your brain a rest 'til we get some instructions. Just don't go causing any trouble…"

Renei flushed angrily, but he just laughed and sat on one of the two beds in the room. Okita shrugged and smiled at her. "Don't mind him, that's just how he is. Actually, Master Sayer told us you were coming and that you had amnesia, so it's ok if you don't know this stuff. We'll help you out."

Renei smiled gratefully. "Thanks. So, uh… Who else is on this floor?"

Okita shrugged and sat on the other bed. "Don't know. We weren't told that we were allowed to explore, so we've been in here the whole time."

Renei looked around for a place to sit, too, but the only other place was the couch by Liquid's bed, all the way across the room. A brief thought wandered across her mind. _Am I sleeping there? In a room with two other males?_ Something inside her was offended by this. Surely Divine wouldn't have her stay there. It was inappropriate! Not to mention rude of the guys to force the girl to sleep on the couch… Instead, she flopped down on the floor between the two beds and crossed her legs.

"Were you ordered to stay in here?" Her curiosity was making her itch to go out and explore the rest of the hall.

"Well, no, but…"

Liquid cut in then, looking lazy as he lay prone on the other bed. "The instructions should be comin' in soon, so don't just go wandering around somewhere, all right?"

Renei made a face at him. "Aren't you guys _bored_ in here? Geez…"

Okita laughed. "Waiting is such tedium, eh? How about a duel? You know, to help get to know each other better?"

Renei almost accepted, then hesitated, staring at the deck Seria had given her. It still felt weird, and the sensation was only stronger now. There were Psychic-type monsters in that deck, and Renei had never felt comfortable with those. Sometimes, she thought the Psychic-types could sense her distaste for them. She felt more of a connection to Spellcasters and Dragons than any of the other types, and liked using those best.

But Okita was waiting eagerly, and she decided he must be as bored as she was. Besides, there was nothing like a duel to pass the time.

"Alright, I'll duel you." Renei felt the familiar thrill of anticipation flare up within her as she accepted his challenge. She stood up and slid the strange deck into her duel disk.

Okita grinned and stood up too, putting a deck of his own into his duel disk. "No psychics allowed, all right? We wouldn't want to mess up our room now, would we?" He laughed at that, then added, "Although, being such novices ourselves, I'm sure we can't cause that much damage."

Renei shrugged, and said, "Fine with me." _As if I had psychic powers to damage anything with anyway_, she added in her mind. At least Okita had given her a way to keep that fact secret. Divine didn't want anyone to know she wasn't a psychic duelist, after all.

"I'll go first, then." Renei drew and studied the unfamiliar cards for a moment. _Let's see here… four spells and two monsters. Damn, I've had better hands than this…_

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note: If you want, you can skip this part, as it's not plot-related. I'm just describing the duel that is required to take place next in the actual game. If you read it, please accept a free cookie on your way out as a reward for sticking to the boring stuff!<strong>_

* * *

><p>She pulled <em>Old Vindictive Magician<em> out of her hand. "I set this monster face-down. Then I'll set three face-downs and end my turn."

Okita grinned and drew. Right away, he said, "I activate _Soul of the Pure_ and increase my Life Points by 800!" He gave a little bow as a fairy-like creature flew by, scattering little holo-sparkles on him. Then he activated another spell card. "Then I use _Blue Medicine_ and increase my Life Points by an additional 400." This time, a green jar appeared before him and poured a blue liquid all over him.

_Liquid on Okita?_ She glanced at the blond lounging on the bed, watching their duel with veiled interest. For some reason, the thought made her want to laugh.

She was brought back as Okita said, "I summon _Divine Dragon Ragnarok_ and attack your face-down monster. Divine Wind!"

The bright dragon on Okita's field opened its mouth and roared, forcing her face-down to flip up. Renei chided herself for losing focus, and responded with, "_Old Vindictive Magician's_ effect activates! When he's flipped face-up after being set, I can destroy a monster on your field. I choose _Divine Dragon Ragnarok_." The little magician screamed in frustration and flew at the dragon in a rage. Before it shattered into pieces, the magician used its staff to conjure up a slicing ray of darkness that split the dragon in half from nose to tail. Both monsters burst into tiny shards of holographic light before disappearing.

Renei saw Okita's face fall. "I end my turn then." He sounded both surprised and worried. Renei simply smiled and drew. Even if she _was_ using a strange deck, she felt confident that she could win this duel.

"I summon _Mystic Tomato_ in Attack Mode." The fiendish tomato appeared on the field and leered wickedly at Okita. She was glad that _Divine Dragon Ragnarok_ was gone. With its 1500 attack points, it was more than a match for her _Mystic Tomato's_ 1400 attack points. But Okita's field was empty, so she felt confident with her next move.

"_Mystic Tomato_, attack Okita's Life Points directly!" Renei pointed at her opponent, and the tomato rushed to bite at the glasses guy, changing his Life Points from 9200 to 7800.

"Oof… That was a good move, Renei." He grinned at her, his face a little pale.

Renei dipped her head with a little smile. "Thanks. I'll end my turn now."

Okita drew and his face lit up. "Excellent! I summon _Destructotron_ in Attack Mode. He has a special effect that I'll activate." The spider-legged robotic monster seemed to latch onto Okita. "By giving up 1000 Life Points, he can destroy one of your face-downs. I choose to destroy the one on your far right!"

With this, _Destructotron_ seemed to leech energy from Okita and rushed toward the designated face-down. Renei said, "I activate my face-down,_ Rush Recklessly_!"

The face-down Okita had chosen to be destroyed swung face-up, and a wild boar appeared. She explained, "It's a Quick-play spell, and it lets me increase one monster's attack points by 700. I select _Mystic Tomato_ as its target."

The tomato was suddenly sitting on top of the wild boar, laughing silently with its tongue hanging out in a taunting manner while the boar bellowed and pawed at the ground.

"Since I activated the card you were going to destroy, your _Destructotron's_ effect is negated."

Okita looked both impressed and chagrined at this as _Destructotron_ returned to his side of the field. Renei wondered why. The combo wasn't really _that_ impressive. It was just common sense.

"Fortunately, I can activate its effect more than once per turn." Okita looked a little smug as he gave up another thousand Life Points to destroy her right-most face-down. It revealed itself briefly to be _Tornado_ before bursting into little holographic shards.

Renei shrugged it off, but inwardly was a little irritated. Even if she didn't have some overall awesome strategy that involved that card, her opponent had still destroyed it. It was a little vexing to have that happen.

_At least my Mystic Tomato has more attack points for the moment. He wouldn't dare attack now, so my Life Points are safe for a little while longer._

Okita ended his turn after setting one face-down. He frowned as _Destructotron's_ other effect activated and was destroyed due to a lack of other Psychic-type monsters on the field. Renei smiled, knowing it gave her the advantage again. She drew.

"I'll set a facedown, then attack you directly with _Mystic Tomato_." Again, the tomato lunged for Okita, changing his Life Points from 5800 to 4400. She held her breath, expecting him to activate the face-down, but he didn't, letting her deplete his Life Points.

"Uh… I end my turn, then." Renei wasn't too worried by the face-down now. Next turn, she'd just destroy it with her newly set_ Dust Tornado_.

Okita activated another Blue Medicine and seemed a little relieved at the minor Life Point boost. She honestly thought he could use it, too. He hadn't managed to touch her Life Points yet, while she'd gotten rid of almost half of his. Okita set a monster face-down and Renei decided it might be a good time to activate her _Dust Tornado_ to destroy the trap or spell on his field. It turned out to be the trap _Energy-Absorbing Monolith_, so no wonder he hadn't activated it. It was her turn again, so she drew.

"I equip _Big Bang Shot_ to _Mystic Tomato_, giving it an extra 400 Attack Points and attack your face-down monster." The evil tomato began gnawing on the face-down, revealing it to be _Dark Rabbit_. Its 1500 Defense Points couldn't stand up to _Mystic Tomato's_ 1800 Attack Points, and was destroyed.

"_Big Bang Shot_ also deals piercing damage whenever the monster it's equipped to attacks a monster in Defense Position with less Defense Points." Okita looked crestfallen as his Life Points fell to 4500.

"With that, I end my turn." Renei watched Okita draw. The longer the duel went on, and the longer she held the upper hand, the more his body language said _'_I am unhappy.' She couldn't understand that. Dueling just by itself was fun, even if you weren't doing well. She got angry whenever duels didn't go her way, but that didn't mean she didn't have fun at the same time. Even when she lost, which was rarely, she still laughed about it and groaned good-naturedly when she inevitably realized her next draw would have turned the duel around in her favor or saw a combo that she hadn't realized would save her until after the fact.

"Aren't you having fun, Okita?" She asked, a little worried.

"Hm? Oh… Sure, I guess… I set this monster face-down and end my turn."

Renei studied him, then finally shrugged at his half-hearted reply and drew. Maybe he found it hard to enjoy himself when he had the bad end of the duel.

"I summon _Psychic Snail_ in Attack Mode." The weird feeling was back, and she somehow felt the snail was disdainful of her, as if it knew she wasn't a psychic duelist and wasn't suited to use Psychic-type monsters.

_Spellcasters and Dragons don't give me this kind of attitude. Geez, I don't think __any__ other types make me feel like that, come to think of it…_

"I attack your face-down with Mystic Tomato." Okita's face-down was revealed to be _Doctor Cranium,_ with only 100 Defense Points. Okita's Life Points were reduced by 1700 due to _Big Bang Shot's_ piercing damage, and he winced at it. Then he held out his hand and spoke.

"When _Doctor Cranium_ is destroyed, I can pay 800 Life Points to add one Psychic-type monster to my hand from my deck. I choose _Telekinetic Shocker_"

As he added the card to his hand, Renei said, "Fine. I'll attack you directly with _Psychic Snail_ next, then end my turn." The snail attacked Okita with lightning from its antennae? Eyes? Proboscis? Whatever it was, it shot lightning. Too late, Renei realized she could have activated her other_ Rush Recklessly_ to increase Psychic Snail's Attack Points and get rid of the remaining 2000 Life Points right then. Now Okita had 100 Life Points left, and there was a little sinking feeling in her stomach. Somebody had always told her never to reduce an opponent's Life Points to 500 or less without finishing them off in the same turn.

"_It activates that law of existence that says any duelist with 500 Life Points or less will pull an epic combo out of their ass and totally cream you in their next turn."_

Renei suddenly realized she'd remembered something from before meeting Divine! She almost gave a cheer, but Okita was conducting his turn, and she need to focus if she didn't want that law to activate. Even if she did want to try and figure out just _who_ had told that to her…

But Okita didn't pull an epic combo out. He just set a monster card and ended his turn. Renei looked at it suspiciously, wondering if it was a trick as she drew. Fortunately, she had a card that could get rid of the face-down monster.

"I activate _Back to Square One. _By discarding a card from my hand, I can return one monster to the top of its owner's deck. I'm sending your face-down back to your deck, Okita."

He just shrugged at the move and said, "Finish it, Renei."

Renei did just that. "I attack you directly with _Mystic Tomato_!"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note: Ok, the duel is over. Plot-related stuff is resuming. Cookies for everyone who read the duel, and pats on the back for those who didn't. By the way, Renei won. Okita is a pansy.<strong>_

* * *

><p>Okita's Life Points fell to zero, and the holograms from the duel faded away. He seemed to physically draw himself up and brace himself, though Renei couldn't fathom why. She patted his shoulder and said, "That was a fun duel, Okita."<p>

His eyebrows shot up in surprise. "Really? I didn't put up much of a fight…"

"Yep, you sure didn't." That was Liquid from his bed, sitting up now. "You're such a candy-ass, you know that?"

Okita reddened, and Renei decided to say something in his defense. "I don't know. You look a lot like a candy-ass yourself, lying around on the bed like that. I'll probably defeat you in half as much time."

"Oh, yeah?" Liquid looked like he was going to leap up and start a duel with her when Okita interrupted. He looked happier at her defense of him and was standing with more determination.

"You're amazing! I shall have to dedicate myself to training even harder like you!" He raised his fist and clenched it to show just how dedicated he was.

Liquid was on his feet and snorted at Okita's words. "Is that all you two got? Let me show you how this works…"

Before he could initiate a duel, though, Divine chose that moment to walk in. Renei's heart leapt at the sight of him, but he acted like he didn't even recognize her. Instead, he barked out sharply, "Psychic duelists, listen up! The next operation to be carried out by our very own Arcadia Movement has been decided upon!"

Both Liquid and Okita snapped to attention behind her, but Renei was caught off guard. Divine was her _protector_, but here he was treating her like a stranger. Was it to keep the fact that she wasn't a psychic duelist a secret?

Divine was still speaking crisply. "Our target will be the Sector Security event, the Fortune Cup."

Liquid and Okita inhaled sharply, but Renei just drew a blank. Who was Sector Security? What was a Fortune Cup?

"Apparently, a large number of duelists with amazing skills will participate in this tournament." Divine frowned and he seemed angry for some reason. "Sector Security… I can't let them go about their business without any oversight now, can I?!" He turned and snapped, "Aki, come!" to someone outside of their room.

Renei blanched as the Black Rose Witch walked into their little room, looking cool and haughty. She had never met the girl, but knew of her. She was Divine's favorite and the most powerful psychic duelist in Arcadia Movement. She was even more powerful than Divine, though not as much in control of her powers as he was of his. She needed to wear a special hair ornament that helped her keep control of them. A shiver of fear went up Renei's spine as she stared at the cold witch. Divine was saying something again, she realized.

"This is Aki Izayoi. She has been invited to take part in the Fortune Cup. I need the three of you to infiltrate the rear of the event hall in order to support her."

He surveyed them critically, then sighed. "That said, it looks like you don't have enough power now to bend a psychic duel to your will. The three of you will have to work together! Consider it a kind of field training."

Divine turned to the Black Rose Witch and said with a touch of excitement, "Aki, make sure you give those other contestants a real taste of your powers!"

She looked at him with those big almond eyes, and Renei felt a mixture of relief and jealousy wash over her. The relief was from not having those cold eyes contemplating her like a person would contemplate a bug before it was squished. The jealousy came from Divine ignoring her for Aki Izayoi. Renei felt her jaw clench as the witch replied, "Yes, sir. Everything will be as you wish, Divine."

Divine had told Renei that she could call him by his first name in private, but never in public. Renei was to call him Master Sayer in public, no exceptions. But Aki… _She_ was special. _She_ could call Divine by his first name in public. _She _was the favorite of Divine, after all.

Divine smiled gently at Aki, and Renei felt a dull rage ignite in her belly. He turned back to her, Okita, and Liquid, and the sharp tone was back.

"All right. You three, head over to the tournament. Don't fail me!"

With that, he turned, grasping Aki's elbow lightly to guide her out of the little room. It was an oddly intimate gesture, and Renei was seized with a sudden desire to yank off her duel disk and chuck it at him. It was a very strange feeling, but she didn't care. Fortunately, the door slid shut, and her view of them was cut off before she could do anything violent.

She stood there seething for a moment, and almost missed the reactions of Okita and Liquid.

"Master Sayer visited us _personally!_"

"That Aki is hot! Nothing like Renei here. That witch can hex me any day, if ya know what I mean, Okita."

"You're so crass, Liquid. Do you not comprehend how momentous this is? Master Sayer came and delivered his orders _in person!_ We must have done well in our training to earn such an honor."

"You know what would be a real honor? Gettin' an hour alone with that hot babe. Why couldn't we get someone like her instead of-"

Before he could finish, Renei had yanked off her duel disk and hurled it at Liquid's head with deadly accuracy. It got him right in the back of the head, since he'd been facing away from her, and he fell forward. Okita sidestepped the falling blond, and Liquid crashed to the ground.

"The hell didja do that for, you bitch?!" Liquid picked himself up, gingerly feeling the back of his head. "Dammit, that _hurt!_ What's your damage?!"

Okita looked a little fearful as he watched her, and Renei realized she was breathing hard, nostrils flaring. Her face was hot with anger, and she realized what he must be thinking. When psychic duelists got mad, things broke without being touched. He thought she was a psychic duelist with no control over her powers, and was worried that she might hurt him. It made sense, since he had no way of defending himself, having little control over his own powers either.

Liquid just looked pissed off. Renei locked gazes with him and snapped, "Whoops, I'm sorry. Go have your precious _Izayoi_ kiss it better, why don't you?"

Liquid just snarled something incomprehensible at her and turned away. She stomped over and picked up her duel disk from where it had fallen. Okita was still looking at her fearfully, and she snapped, "Chill out, I'm not going to hurt you!" He flinched at her tone, and she turned her back on him, feeling a little guilty, though not enough to apologize for lashing out at him like that.

_Honestly… I'm not going to do anything to you. I'm not a psychic duelist, so I can't._

Renei let the anger rage. It felt good, oddly enough. It was as if she stayed angry, she could do anything and beat anyone. Even…

A memory flickered and she stopped breathing. That was right. She'd remembered something during her duel with Okita. Something about the law of less than five hundred…

She slowly slid her duel disk back on, no longer angry. Renei racked her brain, trying to think of _who_ had told her that. It definitely wasn't Divine. But if not him… Then who?

Liquid interrupted her musings. "We're going to the Fortune Cup event hall! Are you ready?"

Renei's head lifted and she nodded. Okita walked up beside her and gave an affirmative as well.

Liquid opened the door, saying "The event hall is the duel stadium. Let's go!"

With that, he went out, Okita following closely.

Renei briefly considered staying right there and letting the two psychics handle it. Why should she help that stupid Aki? If the witch was so important, _Divine_ could just be her back-up!

She sighed, and walked out the door. Divine was her protector. It didn't matter if he thought Aki was more important. He'd helped her when she'd had nothing. He'd been her friend and given her a home. Renei owed him for that. She _owed_ him.

The least she could do was to fulfill his request.

Even if it did mean helping out that witch.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: Here's how the chapters are organized. The game Chapters are divided into two or more parts depending on how much I write. Each part is a chapter in this fanfiction and has its own title. Easy to understand, right?**_

_**Let me know how you're liking or disliking this fanfic so far! I would appreciate any feedback.**_


	3. The Mission

Chapter 1: Awakening – Arcadia Movement

The Mission

It didn't take the three of them long to get to the stadium. They caught a bus over, then approached on foot. They split up temporarily to scope out the stadium, since Divine hadn't given them any tickets or passes, forcing them to find their own way in.

"We're not actually entered in the tournament, so we can't get in from the front." Liquid scowled angrily at Renei and Okita, having returned from talking to the guard at the front gate.

Renei just scowled back at him. She was still pissed from hearing his praise of the wonderful Aki Izayoi, and wasn't in any kind of forgiving mood.

Okita was looking nervous again at the tension that was building up between her and the blond, and he hurriedly suggested, "I'll look around here. You go look around the entrance gate…"

Liquid snapped, "Dude, did you even hear me? I said-"

"Liquid, help me look around here. We'll let Renei handle the front the gate, ok?" Okita cut off Liquid's statement, grabbing his arm and practically dragging him away. It was probably a good thing he'd done that, or Renei might have thrown her duel disk again.

With a growl, she stalked off towards the entrance gate. She might have decided to help Divine, but that didn't mean she had to it cheerfully. It didn't take long for the gate and its guard to come into view. Her pulse began pounding harder at the sight of the uniform and helmet, and she tasted…_ Fear_. For some reason, the guard scared her.

_That's odd… Is it because what I'm doing is wrong?_

No, that couldn't be it. Divine wouldn't ever tell her to something wrong. He was her protector. As she got closer, she could see the insignia on his shoulder. It had the words "_Sector Security_" on it.

As she approached, the guard said with a bored tone, "This is the stadium for the Fortune Cup. Sorry, only those competing are allowed beyond this point." It had the sing-song tone of someone who'd been repeating it for a while.

Renei nodded at this, and turned away, her heart still beating fast. She wanted nothing more than to get away, to _run_. But running wasn't fast enough, she needed…

What was it she needed?

Frustration replaced the fear as she realized she was close to remembering something else, but didn't have time to stop and focus on it. If she could just sit down and _think_, she felt sure she could remember.

She spotted Okita and Liquid standing by a loading bay. Okita whistled to get her attention, and as soon as she was close enough, hissed "I believe we can enter from here. Come on!"

Liquid gestured frantically. His earlier surliness had been replaced by nervous excitement, though he was trying to hide it. "We'll watch to make sure nobody's coming. You go in first, Renei."

Renei looked at him suspiciously. "Why, are you going to try and cop a feel, asshole?"

Liquid sneered at her and said, "Hell no. Who'd want to touch your skinny ass, bitch?"

Renei suddenly drew her arm back, hand forming a fist in preparation for a strike. Okita stepped in between them before Renei could punch Liquid, who had cringed in fear at her sudden movement.

"He's not going to do anything, Renei. Come on, we need to hurry!" Okita sounded exasperated and his voice was a couple pitches higher than normal. Rene felt a little surprised by this ballsy move. So far, Okita had come across as a bit of a pansy. It seemed that when it was necessary, he could rise to the occasion with considerable determination. It was a bit impressive, really.

"We'll be right behind you. We'll meet up with you in the waiting room," Liquid said more seriously, his eyes darting around. Renei almost told him to stop that because it made him look like he was up to something, but Okita was making frantic shooing motions with his hands.

"Go, go!"

She slipped into the loading bay, which was empty of people. A lot of crates were stacked around haphazardly and made it hard to find a straight path through. She managed it well enough, though, shoving some aside when necessary, and went through another door to find herself at the entrance to the stadium on the other side of the gate she'd approached earlier. Without hesitating, she went inside and followed the signs that pointed to 'Waiting Room'. Okita and Liquid had said they'd be right behind her, after all, so she didn't need to wait for them.

Inside the waiting room, a holoscreen was playing something. Renei was shocked to see Aki Izayoi on the screen. She looked angry and in pain, screaming at her opponent.

"_Divine said I wouldn't have to think anymore! He said he'd tell me everything I needed to know!"_

Renei shuddered as she saw the witch's frightening eyes. Before, they'd been cold. Now, they were hot with danger and hurt and _murder_.

The camera angle switched to a tanned young man with dark hair that stuck out in odd, symmetrical spikes. Renei felt a twinge in her memory. He looked so _familiar…_

"_No, Aki! You have to think for yourself!"_

His voice was strong, even though Renei could see cuts and bruises on him. She shivered as she realized Izayoi hadn't gone easy on him, holding back none of her terrifying psychic abilities. He had been hurt by the Black Rose Witch, and yet he still seemed determined to reach out to the witch.

_Is he always like that?_

The camera was focused back on Aki now, and she looked conflicted.

"_No."_ Her voice sounded shaky, even with this declaration. _"I'll let Divine do it for me. It's easier that way."_

The camera switched back to the familiar young man as he shouted, _"Stop! Don't run away! I know you can still feel your true self!"_

Aki shouted desperately back, _"I have no other option!"_ With that statement, even Renei felt bad for her. The Black Rose Witch, normally fearsome, looked so _lost_. It was as if she was in a dark hole, and couldn't find a way out. She couldn't even see that she was wrong. Renei knew there was always another option. You just had to look around hard enough.

Even as she thought it, the young man repeated it.

"_Yes, you do! You can save yourself!"_

With that, he closed his eyes with determination, then shouted, "_Clustering hopes will become a new shining star! Synchro Summon! Take flight, Stardust Dragon!"_

As he spoke, a striking white dragon with blue jewel-like markings appeared. Renei watched in awe as it loomed above the dueling field and gave a high-pitched keen.

"_Go! Cosmic Flare!"_

The dragon attacked Aki, and she gave a cry of pain, clutching at her forearm as if it hurt her. Her Life Points were shown as a meter on screen, and they were reduced to zero.

The young man was approaching Aki even as the MC shouted excitedly, _"What an amazing conclusion! With that last attack, Aki Izayoi's life has hit zero! Yusei Fudo emerges as the victor of this epic battle! He is our champion!"_

A voice broke her out of her concentration on the events happening on the screen

"Huh? I hear lots of cheering going on. Has the duel finished or something?"

Renei turned to see Liquid walking in the room, a bored expression on his face.

"More importantly, where did Okita run off to?" He looked at her, annoyance on his face. "He's taking forever!"

Renei just shrugged, but just then, Okita ran up, panting.

"I apologize for my lateness, but I have news! Aki Izayoi just lost."

Liquid rocked backwards in shock, though Renei wasn't surprised by Okita's statement. She'd just witnessed the defeat on-screen, after all. Liquid spoke, voice filled with outrage.

"Don't we need her for this plan to work? Now what?!"

Okita shrugged helplessly, his hands up in a clueless gesture. "I guess we just have to go home and forget about it. Even coming here was probably a waste of time now." A mischievous grin appeared on his face as something obviously occurred to him. Renei got a sinking feeling in her stomach at his expression.

"But why don't we go take a peek around before we go on our merry little way?"

Just as she thought, it involved something they probably weren't supposed to do. Okita was already out the door, looking excited.

Liquid sighed in irritation, but nodded and followed Okita out of the waiting room. Renei thought about trying to stop them, but shrugged and thought _eh ,what the hell?_ instead, and followed them.

As the three reached the end of the hall, Renei was surprised to hear Divine's voice.

"Nice job, Aki. Now let's go home."

Another voice spoke hesitantly, quivering from emotion. "But I… I…"

Divine spoke more gently. "Let's go. You need rest now."

Then they were in view, and Divine immediately noticed them. Again, there was a lack of recognition when he saw Renei, and her rage flared up again. He addressed them coolly.

"Everyone, the plan is on hold. We're going home."

He had a hand on Aki's shoulder, who looked a mess. In such a short time, she'd gone from being a frightening witch that could kill with a mere thought to a broken, doubtful teenager. The transformation was a bit unnerving. Renei wondered who that familiar looking young man was, and how he could have wrought such a transformation with a little shiver of respect.

Another voice floated down the corridor, this one higher and more demanding.

"Ehehehe! Aki Izayoi, stop right there!"

Divine spun around, glaring at the speaker that Renei couldn't see. She was surprised to see hatred in his eyes. She'd never seen that emotion in his face before. It was… _scary._

"Director Godwin would like to see you, my dear."

Divine sneered, and spat out, "Humph, as if I would ever want to give him the time of day."

Renei peeked around the corner to see a short, ridiculous-looking little man flanked by two men in black suits. He laughed again, an annoying little giggle that grated on her nerves.

"Ehehehehehe! Feisty, aren't we? Well, I guess I'll just have to take you by force then!"

He snapped his little fingers and the men in black suits began advancing down the hallway. Divine ground his teeth and spun around.

"Grrr… I don't have time for this nonsense." His voice was heavy with disdain as he snapped, "Take care of these guys. I have to take Aki home so she can rest."

Renei glowered at being ordered about like a common _soldier_, but it was too late. Already, the brown-haired man in black had forced a duel. Her duel disk activated with a glowing hum, and he was already drawing cards. She didn't have time to spare Okita and Liquid a glance, nor see Divine and Aki exit the building.

She defeated him easily, pounding away at his Life Points with a vengeance as a replacement for who she really wanted to beat. How could Divine _do_ that to her? She was the only one with the power to reach the Spirit World! He'd told her he _needed_ her! Yet, here he was, fussing over stupid Aki, who'd _failed_ in her mission.

Renei barely even registered her win, and found herself wishing that her opponent had been a little more of a challenge so that she could keep kicking his ass. She wanted to destroy stuff, damn it!

The brown-haired man backpedaled hastily at the expression on her face. Renei notice the damage to the hall and realized Okita and Liquid must have been dueling roughly too, using their powers to their limits.

The little man looked ragged and fearful. "Well, well, it looks like they managed to escape. I suppose we have no choice but to fall back." With that, he turned around and fled towards the elevator, the two men in black suits close on his heels.

Liquid turned to her and Okita and shrugged, saying, "Looks like this is all we're getting' done today. Our plan was a failure. Let's head back."

Okita nodded sadly. "Indeed it was. We likely won't be getting any more orders today. We wouldn't want to waste our energy on any unnecessary efforts now, would we?" He began walking away, his shoulders slumped.

Liquid turned to her, looking just as disappointed. He didn't even use any effort to be snide to her. "Come on, Renei, let's beat it. We don't have any more reason to be here." He followed Okita, scuffing his feet.

Renei didn't want to follow them just yet. There was that Yusei Fudo who'd looked so familiar to her. She wanted to know who he was and if he knew her. Was he a possible key to unlocking her past?

A voice from behind her made her jump and she whirled to see a skittish-looking young woman with huge glasses and a shockingly orange vest.

"Hey! You're the duelist from the Arcadia Movement, right? I'm Carly Nagisa, journalist!"

The bespectacled young woman got right up in her face with a small recorder. "I want you to tell me everything you know about the Arcadia Movement!"

Renei almost hit the forceful girl for invading her personal space, but didn't want to risk casting a bad light on the Arcadia Movement by assaulting a journalist. Instead, she pressed her lips together and shook her head vehemently, trying to push away the recorder.

The journalist moved back a little, seeming disappointed. "It looks like you're gonna be a pretty tough nut to crack." Then she lit up and said eagerly, "I know! If I beat you in a duel, you have to promise to answer all the questions I wanna ask you!"

Renei nearly groaned in exasperation. Another duel? She'd just finished kicking one person's ass, couldn't the damn journalist leave her alone? She contemplated foregoing the duel and forgetting about casting a bad light on the Arcadia Movement just so she could give that girl a good beating. Maybe punching somebody would help her relieve some of the anger she held towards Divine.

There was a strange, inhuman screech, followed by a roar from the crowd just then, and Carly whirled around at the sound of it. "Huh?! Oh my gosh! Has the championship match already started?!" She seemed to be like a little squirrel, leaping from one nut to the next. "And more importantly… What was that sound just now?! I've gotta get to the stadium, pronto!" She dashed off at a high speed for the elevator the little clown had used to escape.

Renei's instincts told her to follow the annoying journalist. Without another thought, she took off after the hyperactive young woman. It wasn't easy to catch up, but she managed to slip into the elevator at the same time Carly did, who barely seemed to notice her presence out of overexcited anticipation. It whisked them up to the next level, and they were let out onto a huge flat paved area. With a shock, Renei realized it was the official dueling field in the center of the D-Wheel track. Two D-Wheels were currently hurtling around it, one a giant white ring, the other a more traditional motorcycle shape in red.

Carly was staring upwards, though, eyes tracking the monsters above the duelists. "What?! What's going on?! Who just summoned that huge dragon?!"

With a shiver, Renei saw which dragon Carly was referring to. It looked as if it was made from flames and darkness, and snaked around the entire stadium. It screamed again, a grating sound that made Renei want to put her hands over her ears.

Carly was dancing with excitement. "This is gonna be _HUGE_! I gotta get an interview!" She took off towards the dragon, seeming oblivious to the fact that the duelists were currently in the middle of a Turbo Duel and would be more likely to run over crazy journalists rather than stop and be interviewed.

Renei stared in awe at the dragon. It was _huge_, so much so that it had hidden the duelists completely from view. The MC was shouting about how this was so amazing and nothing like this had ever happened before in his entire experience as an MC for dueling. Renei wanted to know why he wasn't talking about the duel. For that matter, why had the giant holoscreens around the stadium gone fuzzy? _What was happening in the duel?_

The great fiery dragon suddenly screamed again, longer and louder than anytime it had before, and shot upwards into the sky. There, Renei watched it spread its enormous wings over the entire city before disappearing. She continued to stare in awe at the space where it had been. The entire stadium was also staring, completely silent for once.

Then a squealing of rubber broke the silence, and everyone looked frantically for the Turbo Duelists. A collective gasp rose from millions of throats as they saw the white ring-type D-wheel had activated its automatic loss brakes and its rider had been thrown out. The red one had skidded to a halt past the white D-wheel, and its rider was leaping off almost before it had stopped.

Right then, the holoscreens snapped back on, and showed two faces, each with a two different numbers to the right. One was the familiar-looking Yusei Fudo, and the other one was an angry-looking blond male with a long jawline. Renei felt like she recognized this blond duelist too. Why was that?

The MC seemed to be the first to recover from the shock and shouted, "Oh, the drama! What a shocker! No one could have predicted this!"

People were still stunned by the dragon and couldn't react properly. There was a dumbfounded muttering as people saw the screens.

"We have a new King! Yuseiii Fudoooooooo!"

The crowd hesitantly started cheering, but it sounded more divided between shouts of outrage and sounds of confusion. Renei wondered why. Usually, people were happy when somebody won, right?

She looked again at the two duelists and saw them standing and facing each other. Why did she feel like they always stood like that, forever testing themselves against each other? _Why were they so familiar?!_

She struggled to remember, and could almost feel her memories within her grasp. Something was keeping them trapped, and if she could just_ reach_ beyond that barrier…

Suddenly, a sharp pain shot through her skull, and Renei clutched her head with a cry of pain. Everything went dark, and then suddenly, she was no longer in the stadium. Instead, she was in a run-down slum, facing the tall blond duelist who had just lost, reliving the memory.

"_Looks like it was a breeze for both of you, huh?" _

_Jack said this with a sardonic grin and Renei suddenly wanted to punch him in the shoulder for being such a prick. Of __course__ it had been easy. What else did he expect from a member of the Enforcers?_

_Yusei's mouth turned up slightly and he said, "Yeah, I guess it was. I mean, we're good friends after all."_

_They all laughed, and Renei was going to turn and say something to…_

The memory ended abruptly, and Renei opened her eyes to see the stadium once more. The cheering was stronger now, though it had definitely split between cheers of support and boos for the new King. To her left, the little clown man was looking at a small, portable holoscreen with the image of a stern-looking man with long white hair and a gray suit.

"_The tournament is a resounding success. Everything is going according to plan._"

Renei was filled with apprehension upon hearing that statement and what it implied. Had Yusei, Jack, and Izayoi all been pawns upon this stranger's board? Her head began to ache fiercely just then, and she beat a hasty retreat. Better to puzzle this all out in the relative safety of the Arcadia Movement than out here amongst unknown dangers…


	4. The Memories

Chapter 1: Awakening – Arcadia Movement

The Memories

It was the day after the Fortune Cup. Renei had spent the night on the uncomfortable little couch, playing over the one memory she'd remembered at the tournament. Try as she might, she couldn't remember anything else. Where had it been? How had she known Jack and Yusei? Who were the Enforcers? Who was the other person she'd been about to speak to? The answers to these questions eluded her, and she couldn't sleep well with all the uncertainty tossing around inside of her.

Liquid and Okita weren't helping either. It was a wonder they didn't wake each other up with their snoring. They sounded like pigs! Between her efforts to remember things and their snoring, she couldn't get a wink of sleep, and was surly in the morning when the guys got out of bed.

"Mornin' sunshine. Get up, you lazy ass. We've got stuff to do." Liquid paused long enough to kick the couch where she lay. It earned him a wallop with her pillow, and he staggered back. Okita looked as if he were going to come over as well, but a fierce glare from her changed his mind. Plus, she still had that pillow to use as a bludgeon.

They left to go do whatever it was guys did in the morning, leaving her to yawn and try and fix her long hair. It was matted from tossing and turning, and she was combing her fingers through it, wishing for a proper brush. In her old quarters, she'd had an adjoining bathroom, and there was a brush in there…

Liquid and Okita came back, looking disgustingly cheery and chatting like old women with good gossip. She glowered at them, and Liquid said in a snide tone, "Guess you're feelin' better now, huh?"

Renei considered throwing the pillow on the couch at him, but decided not to waste her weapon. He continued to taunt her, as if he wasn't concerned for his continued health.

"After you staggered in here yesterday and feel right to sleep, I was kinda worried." He smirked at her, since he knew full well she hadn't slept. The dark circles under her eyes attested to that. "If that's what you're like on the first day, I can't say the future's looking good for you…" He shrugged and grinned wickedly.

Renei glared at him and said, "Gee, thanks for the concern. But you don't need to worry. I'll be just _peachy_." If sarcasm was water, it would've made puddles all around her, her voice was dripping so much of it.

Okita, either not hearing the sarcasm or deciding to ignore it, said, "I'm very pleased that you're feeling all right today. So, Renei, am I right in understanding that you are starting training today?"

This got her attention. "Training?"

He looked surprised. "Yes. The Floor Rep told us to remind you about it. Didn't you know?

She shook her head, confused. Divine hadn't said anything about training…

Okita shrugged and said, "Should you have any questions, ask at the Training Room. Just exit this building and head west."

Liquid laughed. "Yeah, even a ditz like you can't miss it. There's only one place it could be."

"Shut up, Liquid, or I'll beat you with the pillow." Renei stood up and sighed. She decided she'd rather be training or whatever rather than spend the rest of the day with these two. Liquid especially was getting on her nerves, and she wasn't sure she would be able to contain the urge to throttle him if she stayed.

It was pretty easy to find the Training Room. Two people were waiting for her, and they brightened when they saw her. One was a guy with dark hair, the other a woman with grayish-green hair in a short pixie cut. They introduced themselves as Check and Nino and explained her training for the day, saying they were ready as soon as she was. They had instructions to use up the whole day if necessary. Renei started immediately.

First, she started with Check. His job was to open her mind to the possibilities, or so he would say with grand gestures and poses. In reality, he set up a duel field with traps, spells and monsters, gave her a limited amount of cards, and told her to win in one turn. At first, the puzzles were easy. Renei saw the solutions with no problem. But as they went on, they got harder and harder. She would try a certain combo and see that it didn't work, and Check would reset it for her so she could start from the beginning.

Finally, when she was stuck on a particularly difficult one, he took pity on her and told her to train with Nino for a while. Training with Nino was a little bit easier. She had a bunch of basic decks, each with its own strategy for winning. Renei would pick one and Nino would pick another, then they would duel. Renei immediately grasped the fact that Nino had a distinct advantage over her. The woman knew what each deck's strategy was and how to use it most effectively. Renei, never having seen these decks before in her life, had to figure out both her deck's strategy and Nino's, then figure out a way to win.

She managed well enough. Renei was glad that she'd started the day with Check, and his training was already paying off. She found herself seeing new combinations that she wouldn't have thought of before, and managed to beat Nino every single time.

Finally, both of them held up their hands in defeat and told her she was done training for the day. They informed her that she would have D-Wheel training the next day on the other side of Neo Domino City. She thanked them for working so hard with her and left the Training Room.

She was surprised to find the sun was setting outside, and realized she _had_ spent the whole day training. It felt kind of good, actually. Renei had a sense of accomplishment, and it helped boost her confidence. Ever since Divine had treated her like a stranger the other day, she'd felt out of sorts and off balance. He'd been one of the few people she'd been allowed to be in contact with since he'd found her a year ago, and had always treated her like she was important. Granted, she'd only seen him once or twice a day, if at all, but he'd always made a point of treating her well. To suddenly have him act coldly to her was like having a foundation of her little world ripped from under her. She didn't have very many memories to keep her company. Most of the ones she did have were of Divine being nice to her and of being her protector.

_Are all those memories a lie? Was he just acting nice to me because I might be able to go to the Spirit World?_

The little voice saying this came out of nowhere, and it made her pause. It could be true. How many times had he ranted about tools not performing satisfactorily when he thought she wouldn't hear? Maybe she was just a tool to him, rather than a person with feelings.

This thought made her feel vaguely sick and she pushed it away to the back of her mind. By now, she had made her way back inside and was starting down the hall to her room when she heard her protector's voice.

"Renei, looks like you've finished training."

She turned to look at him, wondering why he'd sought her out. Had he come to apologize for treating her like a stranger? Maybe he would explain what his plan was and why he was acting the way he was.

Instead, he said, "I guess you can now help me sharpen Aki up. Follow me!"

Her heart sank at that, and Renei realized she was just the first conveniently available person he had run across. Anyone would have been fine, she'd just happened to be out in the hall when he went looking for someone to duel his precious Aki. She wanted to refuse, tell him to go find some other toadie to do what he wanted, but instead, she followed him wordlessly. He was her protector. She owed him.

He led her into his office, where Aki stood, looking a little forlorn. Renei faced the witch as Divine said, "Now, I'd like you to duel against Aki." He was giving her an order, not making a request of a friend.

Renei nodded grimly and decided right then that she'd beat Aki, even if she_ was_ Divine's favorite. It was obvious to her why he'd brought her to duel the Black Rose Witch, the best duelist in all of Arcadia Movement. Renei was meant to lose in order to build up the young woman's self-confidence after being beaten by Yusei.

"Aki, it looks like you're still not in perfect condition, so don't overdo it, okay?" Divine's voice was kind and concerned. Renei would have given almost anything to have him speak like that again to her. "Just take it easy and think of this as light training."

Aki replied, "Yes, Divine," and faced Renei, her face still forlorn. Renei saw instantly that Aki realized what Divine was doing, too, and was… _sorry_ about it.

"So you're my opponent." Aki touched her forearm unconsciously. Renei thought it seemed like a gesture made out of discomfort in the situation at hand. "You must be tired of training… Thanks for dueling with me anyway."

Renei had her duel disk up and ready, but Aki hadn't done the same. Did she not want to duel?

Divine interrupted Aki a bit impatiently, though he tried to disguise it as joviality. "Aki, no need for such small talk. Just think of this only as something to help bring back your senses."

Aki sighed in resignation. "Yes, Divine." Her duel disk came up and activated. "Very well. Let's begin."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: There's another duel here, but it might be important to read it this time. Renei goes through some character development as the duel goes on, and realizes some important things about the things she thought she knew. Also, Aki makes some serious mistakes that are also relevant to her character development.**_

* * *

><p>Their decks shuffled, then they drew their first five cards. Renei took the initiative and went first.<p>

_Let's see... One trap, three spells, and two Tuners. Not too bad._

"I summon _Genex Controller_ in Attack Mode, then set one card and end my turn." The little robot appeared and click-clacked energetically.

Aki drew, but did it listlessly. "I summon _Lord Poison_ in Attack Mode." The sludgy-looking plant-man might have been droopier than was its norm, but it was kind of hard to tell. He always looked like a pile of goop.

Renei saw that _Lord Poison_ had higher Attack Points than her _Genex Controller_ and made a snap decision. "I activate the trap _Threatening Roar_." Out of the holographic projection of her trap, a terrifyingly loud roar made visible sound waves. The sound waves engulfed the plant man on Aki's field, and it trembled with fear. Renei gave another grim smile. "Now you can't declare an attack this turn."

The witch shrugged. "I activate_ Mind Controller_. It lets me take one monster from your side of the field. It can't attack or be Tributed for a higher level monster. But I can Tune it." Marionette strings appeared above Renei's monster and latched onto it. The poor little robot was forced to walk over to Aki's field, whirring hysterically the entire time. Aki didn't seem to notice. "I tune _Lord Poison_ and _Genex Controller_ to summon my _Black Rose Dragon_!"

The dragon appeared with a screech and loomed over Aki in a protective manner, its petal-covered wings spread wide to intimidate opponents

"I activate _Black Rose Dragon's_ effect. When it's Synchro Summoned, I can destroy every card on the field."

Renei blinked in surprise. Had the witch gone crazy? There was nothing on the field_ except_ the dragon. It screeched angrily as it burst into a storm of rose petals that flew violently around the room. A few hit Renei, and they left thin scratches on her. With a shock, she realized Aki was using her Psychic powers to make her attacks felt. If Renei lost, she could be seriously hurt at best and killed at worst. It was even more important now that she win.

"I activate the field spell _Black Rose Garden_." Another of Aki's signature cards, the dark, thorny vines sprang up and created a shell around the field. Renei eyed them warily, not wanting to add to the few scratches she already had by brushing up against them.

"I'll end with one face-down. Your turn." Aki stared at Renei, the cold look back in her eyes. Renei suppressed a shiver and drew. It seemed the witch was regaining her former confidence and ruthlessness, and seemed no longer to feel sympathy for her victim. Renei only stiffened her resolve to win that much more.

"First, I'll put a face-down on the field. Then I summon _Psychic Snail_ in Attack Mode."

"_Black Rose Garden's_ effect activates," Aki said as vines shot out and snaked around the snail. "Your monster's attack is halved. Then, a Rose token is summoned to my side of the field." As Aki spoke, a rose bud came up out of the ground and began to bloom. It had 800 Attack Points, but Renei had known it was coming.

"My _Psychic Snail_ still has more Attack Points. I attack your Rose token with _Psychic Snail_!" Renei pointed at the doomed flower as she said this.

The snail reared back and blasted the rose with lightning from its antennae, destroying the token and dealing damage to Aki. Her lip lifted in a grimace, and her brows drew down just a little. Renei tried not to worry about that as she ended her turn.

Aki drew and said, "I activate the Continuous Spell_ Miracle Fertilizer_. It allows me to special summon a Plant-type monster from my graveyard once per turn. I use it to summon _Lord Poison_!"

The droopy-looking plant man materialized again, but Aki wasn't done. "I activate my trap _Overdoom Line._ For three turns, any Plant-type monsters summoned from the graveyard to my field gain 1000 Attack Points."

"_Black Rose Garden's_ effect activates for me, now. Your monster's original attack is halved, and a Rose token is summoned to my side of the field," Renei snapped. Aki had pulled off a good combo, and now her monster had more than enough attack points to get rid of the snail, even if Renei activated her set spell _Rush Recklessly_. As she'd thought, the witch attacked the snail. Renei decided to save her spell for later, and gritted her teeth in anticipation of the damage that would be dealt.

_I'll have a nice collection of cuts and bruises to take care of later, that's for sure,_ Renei thought sardonically to herself as glowing shards of the snail lashed at her.

Renei drew and a smile flashed across her face. "I activate _Twister_! By paying 500 Life Points, I can destroy one of your spell or trap cards. I use it to destroy _Miracle Fertilizer_." A fierce twister sprang up and hurtled toward the spell card, ripping it to shreds. "Then I activate the spell_ Back to Square One_. By discarding one card from my hand, I can return one of your monsters to the top of your deck."

_Lord Poison_ disappeared from the field, leaving the witch wide open to attack. "I attack directly with the Rose token." Aki's face darkened as her Life Points dropped another 800 Attack Points.

_Don't give me that look, you bitch. I don't even have any psychic powers to hurt you with. I'm the one in danger of dying here, you monster._

Renei realized suddenly that maybe Divine had chosen her to duel Aki _because_ she had no Psychic powers. No matter how much in danger she was in, there was no chance Renei would accidentally lash out at the Black Rose Witch with her mind and hurt his little darling. It sunk in that maybe she wasn't as important to his cause as she thought, if he was willing to risk her life like that.

_He's my protector… He's supposed to protect me! Not offer me up as a lamb to slaughter!_

How could she trust Divine to protect her if he put her in harm's way, knowing she couldn't defend herself? He _knew_ a psychic duelist had an unfair advantage over a normal person. He _knew_ that Aki would hurt her. Tears welled up as she was forced to look at the ugly truth.

_I can't trust him to protect me. Nobody's going to protect me. If I'm going to survive, I have to protect myself._

Divine had lied about being her protector. She owed him _nothing_. Renei wondered what else he had lied to her about, but decided to worry about that later. Right now, she needed to focus on the duel in order to win.

"I end my turn." Renei waited for Aki to make her move, face full of determination. Step one to self-protection: win this duel.

The witch's eyebrow twitched, and seemed to sense that Renei had come to a decision. She drew, and said with a touch of ferocity, "I summon_ Witch of the Black Rose_ in Attack Mode. Her attack gets halved and you get a Rose token."

Another rose grew to accompany the first on Renei's side of the field.

Aki said, "I attack that new Rose token with my _Witch of the Black Rose_!"

Renei smiled wickedly, glad she'd saved her spell. _Witch of the Black Rose_ only had fifty more Attack Points than her Rose token right now. "I activate the spell _Rush Recklessly_ and choose that Rose token as its target!"

A wild boar came squealing out of the revealed card and rushed at the little purple witch. They crashed together, and the purple witch was destroyed with a cry that was mirrored by Aki. The young woman stood there, breathing more deeply than she had before. Renei took some small satisfaction in the knowledge that she was managing to make the witch lose her cool little by little. Only Yusei had managed to do that before.

"I end my turn. _Overdoom Line_ goes to the graveyard. Make your move." The witch's voice was terse.

Renei drew. "I Flip Summon my _Krebons_. Monsters aren't affected by your _Black Rose Garden_ if they were set the previous turn, so you don't get a Rose token and his Attack Points aren't halved. She smirked at Aki, feeling quite a bit of pride at the exploitation of the Field Spell's weakness.

"I attack you directly with all monsters on my side of the field," Renei said, and the Rose tokens fired a barrage of thorns at Aki, followed by a bolt of light from _Krebons_. Aki hissed with displeasure as her Life Points were reduced to 3600.

"I'll set a monster and end my turn." Renei didn't think Aki would let her set monster go unmolested in the next turn, but her Rose tokens made much more tempting targets by being in attack position. She hoped that's what Aki would think, anyway.

Aki drew, her movements no longer listless as they had been at the beginning of the duel. They were filled with a burning mixture of determination and rage. "I set a monster and end my turn."

Renei grinned. So it was going to be like that, huh? She drew, and said, "I Flip Summon _Telekinetic Shocker_. I'll use him to attack your set monster." Renei thought it might be one with a high defense, but was willing to risk taking damage so that she could reveal the monster.

It turned out to be _Lord Poison_, who's Defense of 1000 couldn't stand up to _Telekinetic Shocker's_ attack of 1700. _Lord Poison's_ effect couldn't activate either, since there weren't any other Plant-type monsters in Aki's graveyard. The Black Rose Witch was wide open to attack. Renei did just that, and was thrilled as Aki's Life Points were reduced to 800. As long as Aki didn't get a lucky draw, the duel was almost won.

"I'll set a card and end my turn." Renei felt confident. She didn't need Divine to protect her. She was doing all right by herself. She was _beating the Black Rose Witch,_ the most powerful psychic duelist in Arcadia Movement who had never been defeated until yesterday in the Fortune Cup! Alright, Aki might have been a bit off her game at the beginning. After all, she'd made a serious blunder destroying her _Black Rose Dragon_ when it'd been the only card on the field. Still, Renei was winning. A few cuts and bruises would be worth the victory.

Aki drew, scowling. Renei was tempted to remark that her face might freeze like that, and then nobody would ever like her. She refrained, though. Psychic duelists were not the kind of people you pissed off casually, even if you were currently beating them in a duel.

"I set a monster and end my turn."

Renei drew, feeling a bit giddy inside. _I'm beating __Aki Izayoi__. I can't believe it! I __can__ protect myself!_

Out loud, she said, "I attack your face-down monster with _Telekinetic Shocker_." Even if it did have a high defense, Renei wasn't worried a bit. She had the trap _Skill Successor_ set from the previous turn, which she would use to boost her monster's attack by 800 if she had to.

She didn't need to, though, as _Dark Verger_ was revealed and destroyed. Once again, Aki was wide open to attack.

"Rose token, finish her off."

Aki's face turned to outrage as the rose fired a barrage of thorns at her and her Life Points dropped to zero. With a scream of rage, her hair ornament fell out and Renei felt herself hit with an unseen force. It lifted her up and slammed her into one of the heavy statues in Divine's office, knocking the wind out of her.

Aki's outrage turned to horror as Renei struggled to get a breath. The witch sounded desperate as she said, "I'm sorry! I wanted to control my psychic powers, but they just… came out!"

_Fat lot of good that does me, you bitch. I can't even breathe!_ Renei's head felt a bit foggy and a little detached bit of her mind mused how she'd have _a lot_ of bruises to tend to after that.

Divine walked calmly over to Aki and placed his hand on her shoulder. "You must still be a little tired. Just take the rest of the day off."

Renei felt the rage flare up inside her, and tried again to _breathe_! Air came flooding back into her lungs, and she started coughing. _That bastard doesn't even care if I'm alright. I'm going to kill him!_

Unfortunately, she was in no shape to maim him like she wanted to. Pain had come pouring in with the air, and she knew that if she tried to stand, she might scream. She didn't want to show her former protector any weakness just then. She didn't want him to show false concern for her after Aki was gone. She didn't want to owe him _anything._

Aki started to protest, but Divine looked at her squarely. "Aki, look into my eyes." Aki seemed to freeze, and Divine said in an even, calm voice, "I'm sure our friend over there will be okay. There's no need for you to worry."

Aki relaxed and mumbled agreement. He took her by the arm and guided her out of the office, leaving Renei on the floor, coughing and trying not to show her pain.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: For those who read the whole duel, I'll bake you a pie in the next chapter. If you were keeping track of all the moves, you can pick what kind.**_

_**The duel was the actual one I played in-game, so everything is accurate. The card Renei discarded for **__**Back to Square One**__** was **__**Shield Crush**__**, if anyone was wondering. I honestly don't know why the NPC decided to destroy **__**Black Rose Dragon**__**, but hey, I'll take it. It actually worked out really well in terms of the plot of this novelization. In the game, they don't really explore Aki's internal struggle to free herself from Divine's control. If I remember right, she gets really angry, forces you to duel her, and then she's fine. I think the game depends on you having watched the anime before playing it if you want character development, which makes sense, I guess./sarcasm (Isn't it meant for twelve-year olds anyways? Psshh, twelve-year olds don't need character development.) Anyway, I get to show Aki feeling a little bit unstable and making dumb mistakes because of it without lying.**_

_**I'd love some feedback about what you think of my character motivation. I'm worried that the OC is turning out Mary-Sue-ish… Also, I want to know if you prefer a particular kind of format for duels to be presented in. Is it ok that I'm italicizing card names and capitalizing things like "Attack Points", "Life Points", and "Defense Points", but not "attack position", "set", "flip summon", and stuff like that? The more feedback you give, the less tedious this fanfic becomes.**_

_**I bet nobody's reading it anyway. Or if they were, I chased them away with my long author's note…**_


	5. DWheels and Memories

Chapter 1: Awakening – Arcadia Movement

D-Wheels and Memories

The next morning, Renei was in excruciating pain.

She'd managed to get herself back to the room she shared with Liquid and Okita last night to collapse on the couch. The guys had already been out like lights, snoring up a storm. She'd fallen asleep despite the noise they'd made, and had horrible nightmares of being thrown around in a hurricane, feeling like somebody had left her behind and she _had_ to catch up because they were important.

So when Liquid woke her up with his laughing, she was in a foul enough mood to seriously consider castrating him in his sleep. She would have done it right then, except that she had to move to do that, and she wasn't sure if she was up to that just yet. Instead, she glared at him and willed him to drop dead with her mind.

He noticed her glare and laughed instead of dropping dead. "You're awake now, right?"

Renei growled a response, and tried to sit up straight. She succeeded, but only with a lot of hissing noises that denoted just how sore she was.

Liquid just laughed harder at her, and asked sarcastically, "So you start D-Wheel training today? Well, we're in the same boat."

"Yeah, but you're all disgustingly chipper about it. _I_ was dueled within an inch of my life yesterday."

Liquid looked at Okita with a questioning look on his face, but the other shrugged and adjusted his glasses as if to say 'Beats me'. At least the blond wasn't laughing anymore.

He headed out with a wave, saying, "If we become really good, we might be awarded with a D-Wheel! I'll go on ahead."

Renei stuck up her middle finger at his retreating back. He couldn't see it, but it made her feel better.

Okita was a little more sympathetic. "If you are sore, it might be a better idea to stay here for a little while. From what I hear, D-Wheels are rather demanding physically. Perhaps warming up and stretching would be helpful?"

Renei nodded, and attempted to stand. It wasn't easy, and her many bruises screamed protest as she did, but in the end, she managed it.

Okita nodded at her progress and said, "I have some things here to take care of first, but I will be there later. Good luck!" He left, leaving Renei to walk around the room by herself.

She took the opportunity of having the room to herself to inspect her various bruises and cuts and stripped off her clothes. There weren't as many as she'd feared. A few were turning purple on her thighs and there was some more on her arms that were dark, but not overly swollen. Thin red lines showed where Aki's powers had left small slices in her skin, but they weren't very deep. Renei counted herself lucky to have gotten away so lightly as she dressed again and began gingerly moved around the room.

After a while, she felt less stiff. The pain had turned to more of a dull ache, and she decided to get to D-Wheel training. It wasn't hard to figure out where she was going. All she had to do was follow a small group of duelists leaving Arcadia Movement headquarters that wouldn't stop talking about how excited they were for D-Wheel training.

Once they were there, she noticed a fair amount of D-Wheelers on an enclosed stretch of highway. They wore variations of the same uniform that was more form-fitting than the Arcadia Movement outfit and didn't have the long panels of fabric in the front and back. She looked around for some sort of instructor and saw a green-haired man waving at her.

"Yo! You're Renei, right?" He sounded cocky, and there was a confident grin on his face as she nodded her assent. "The name's Kawasaki. I'm in charge of D-Wheel training. You're almost up, just wait a few more minutes."

The sound of a D-Wheel screeching to a halt could be heard, followed by an alarming-sounding crash. The rider picked himself up from the fallen D-Wheel and frantically scrabbled at his helmet until he managed to get it off. It was Liquid, looking rather shaken. Renei laughed at his predicament, and he spun around to see her. He turned furiously red and headed over, while Kawasaki shook his head ruefully.

"Oh, hey, Renei," he mumbled, trying to not look as embarrassed as he obviously was. "That was my first time riding…"

"No kidding. I hardly noticed." Renei said wryly. She felt there was some justice in the universe after all. Liquid had laughed at her this morning already, and now she was having her chance to return the favor.

"It was harder than I thought!" His protests only made her laugh harder, until he said, "You've gotta watch out for the obstacles, or they'll really slow ya down." That shut her up in surprise and little butterflies started dancing in her stomach. Obstacles? They had to _dodge_ stuff their first time out on the road?

Before she could ask, Kawasaki said, "Next up is Renei!" Before she knew it, she'd been given a racing uniform, hustled into a locker room to change, and was out on the track with a D-Wheel under her, wondering how things had gone by so fast. Kawasaki said with his usual cocky grin, "You ready? You can ride your D-Wheel to your heart's content! Go burn up the course!"

She revved the controls and was surprised at how familiar it felt to lean forward on the D-Wheel like she was right now. Without any instruction, she gunned the motor and burned up the course.

There were a few times she came dangerously close to the wall and for some reason, she felt like the bike should respond to her turns better. The wind against her body didn't whip at her as fiercely as she thought it ought to, either. But she figured it out and managed to finish up the course in one minute and fourteen seconds.

Kawasaki looked stunned as she brought the D-Wheel to a neat, sideways-sliding halt in front of him and removed her helmet.

"Nice time!" He crowed, grinning so much that Renei thought his face might split. "If you can keep that up, you'll be in excellent shape, buddy!"

Even Liquid looked awed and said enthusiastically, "Very nice, Renei! You don't ride like a newbie at all. C'mon, be honest… You've ridden some before, haven't you?"

Renei had to stop and think for a second before answering. No memories were surfacing, but she'd already known what to do in order to ride without crashing. She'd even made a dramatic sliding stop without falling over. As she glanced at the D-Wheel, she found herself critically analyzing it and replacing parts in her head to make it faster and more maneuverable. She knew she could take it apart and put it back together by herself, too, if she wanted. But she didn't know where she'd learned.

Fortunately, Liquid spoke again before she could answer. "Nah, you wouldn't keep something like that from me! Guess you're just a natural."

For a moment, she thought he had seriously forgotten she was an amnesiac, but a sly grin on his face told her he was teasing. She shoved him good-naturedly, too excited from her successful ride to be properly angry at him. He slung an arm over her shoulder and they started walking back to the Arcadia Movement together, talking about the course and D-Wheel riding techniques.

About halfway back, someone said in a shocked voice, "Renei?! Is that you?!" Renei turned to see Yusei Fudo, his mouth hanging open in disbelief as he stared at her.

For a moment, she was just as surprised to see him. What was the winner of the Fortune Cup doing wandering around in public? And how did he know her name?

Then she remembered her memory fragment from the Fortune Cup. Yusei was, or had been, her friend. Of course he would recognize her. She backed away a step, not knowing what to do. How did you tell a friend you didn't remember them anymore?

Another sharp pain lanced through her skull, exactly as it had before when she'd remembered at the Fortune Cup.

_A slightly younger Yusei stood in front of her, minus the yellow marks on his face, and he was speaking to her._

"_I've tuned up the prototype Duel Runner I was holding on to for you."_

_Crow was standing next to him, a big grin messing up his usual bad-boy image. "Renei, you take your D-Wheel and go ahead! Get a move on!"_

_She took the D-Wheel and mounted it, then revved the engine. It purred more smoothly than it had before and she looked at Yusei in surprise. She might be good with D-Wheels, but that boy was a fucking genius with them. She half-believed he could make one out of old cardboard boxes and used chewing gum if that was all he had to work with. Gleefully, she opened up the throttle and took off._

_As she dodged in and out of the ruins and garbage of Satellite, she saw Kiryu waving at her. He was yelling something._

"_Hey! It's Renei! How's it goin'?"_

_She raised a hand in acknowledgement and popped a wheelie, earning an appreciative whoop from him._

Suddenly, the memory was over, and Liquid had a hand on her shoulder. Her hands were pressing to her temples, trying to stop the headache she was developing.

"You don't look so hot… Are you okay?" A dangerous growl came into his voice as he asked, "Do you know that guy?"

She wanted to tell him that she was fine, but right then, Divine came running up. For a moment, she felt a flare of happiness at the sight of him, but it quickly turned to rage as she remembered how she'd been treated the day before.

_What the hell is he doing here?_

"Well, if it isn't Yusei Fudo!" Divine looked very angry and placed himself in between her and Yusei. His voice dropped to a deadly low tone, and he snapped, "How about you stay out of my business."

Renei was about to shove Divine out of the way and say that it wasn't any of his business whether she talked to Yusei or not, but he rapped out, "Somebody take her back to headquarters."

Too late, she noticed the other Arcadia Movement members nearby moving in to take her away. They would take her by force if they had to. Liquid stared at her guiltily as he laid a hand on her arm, but she shook him off.

Yusei moved forward, trying to get around Divine. "Renei! Are you okay?!"

Divine blocked his path and practically shouted, "Yusei! This doesn't concern you! Please leave at once!"

The other Arcadia Movement members were surrounding her now, and she decided not to struggle right then. They were all psychic duelists, and wouldn't hesitate to use their powers to subdue her. She didn't want to add to her injuries, which were once again making themselves felt strongly. As they escorted her away, she heard Yusei say in a confused tone, "Renei?!" and closed her eyes.

_I'm sorry, Yusei! _

Seria watched the monitor, a crease between her eyebrows. Divine had come in, accompanied by two Arcadia Movement members who brought in the subject. He looked angry and had flared nostrils. The subject had been struggling, as was evidenced by her rumpled clothes and irritable-looking guards. Divine had forced Seria to give the subject an injection to calm her down, then had called for an intensive brainwashing session. Now he stood staring at the subject, chewing nervously on a thumbnail with a deep frown.

The lines hadn't been moving in regular,_ normal-people_ patterns. They hadn't danced crazily in _contacting-the-Spirit-World_ patterns, either. Instead, they waved sluggishly, with random jerks and twitches every now and then, and only slowed more as time went by. It concerned her, and she said hesitantly, "I'm seeing a decrease in the level of consciousness, sir. At this rate, the subject will pass out on us."

He stopped chewing on his thumbnail and snapped, "So the brainwashing is wearing off?"

Seria flinched at the harsh quality of his tone, but said bravely, "That's right. It appears that the subject experienced a great shock related to a past event."

Divine mumbled a curse. "Yusei Fudo…! Time and time again, he keeps getting in my way!"

He whirled and jabbed a finger at Seria as if she was at fault for Yusei Fudo's meddling. "If he gets any closer to this one, it could spell big trouble for us."

She could only stare at him with a frightened expression. Seria had never seen him this agitated before, and she gathered up her Psychic powers in case he lashed out at her with his mind. He was acting so oddly that she didn't dare take any chances.

He didn't seem to notice and ordered, "Let's strengthen the brainwashing so our subject can better resist these pests from the past!"

Seria pointed at the brainwave line, which had been the most sluggish and erratic out of all the lines. Her voice quavered, but didn't break as she said, "But the brainwave isn't stable. If we push it too far, we could endanger the subject's life!"

This seemed to bring Sayer back to his senses for a moment. He stared at the subject, his eyebrows furrowed in worried thought. "Humph, I see…" he said softly. "We can't afford to lose such an important asset." He turned, clearly unhappy, and said reluctantly, "Preserving the subject's life takes top priority. We'll have to conduct more brainwashing later."

Seria breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Yes, sir." Divine was right. He was _always_ right.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: Anyone else get the idea that Seria isn't as competent as Divine likes to think?**_

_**By the way, if you haven't caught it by now, Sayer/Divine is Divine Sayer in this fanfic. A little bit of irony, as he uses brainwashing to convince his subordinates that what he says is true, even if it's a lie.**_

_**The next chapter awaits! There may be more duels and more physical violence. It'll be where I take the most artistic liberties with back story, and will probably blend anime canon with game canon and end up with mashed canon! (Pass the gravy, please!)**_


	6. Delinquent Duelists

_**Author's Note**__**: Just for future reference, I'll be referring to the Duel Gangs by their English version names. That means Team Satisfaction will be the Enforcers. I prefer it that way anyways, because to be an Enforcer sounds cooler than being a Satisfaction-er. Personally, I always felt Team Satisfaction sounded a little gay, especially since all the members were guys.**_

_**Anyways, enjoy!**_

* * *

><p>Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond<p>

**Delinquent Duelists**

Renei knew she was supposed to be unconscious. Maybe she was. After all, her arms and legs wouldn't obey her, and she couldn't even summon up the strength to open her eyes. The fact that she could hear Seria and Divine speaking was just an oddity, perhaps.

After being dragged back to the Arcadia Movement Headquarters, they'd taken her to the lab where she'd been tested before. She had fought the others once she'd realized where they were going, less worried about her injuries than about what they would do to her in the lab. Divine had told her to trust him and that everything would be fine, but that had made her struggle all the more. She knew now to assume that whatever Divine had to say wasn't in her best interests.

But there had been too many of them who were stronger than she, and Seria had been ordered to give her a shot of something to keep her from fighting. It had calmed her body, but not her mind, and she was furious at Divine.

She could hear everything that went on around her. She heard the greed and ambition in Divine's voice and how he considered her a 'valuable asset'. The last little hope that maybe Divine was acting out a grand scheme for her benefit and that he really did care about her despite how he'd treated her died as he talked about her like she was some kind of tool.

_If I broke, he'd just throw me out and get a new one if he thought he could._

The thought sent her into despair, and she welcomed the dark haze. At least she could retreat into it and escape from the world for a little while…

After a while, it occurred to her that maybe she should try looking for the little girl who'd called to her the other day…

Renei found that by concentrating, she could move through the haze. It was difficult at first, but became easier the more she tried. She went deeper and deeper into the haze, trying to find any change in it. She wasn't sure how long she took or how far she went. Nothing in the haze indicated anything about time or distance.

It might have been forever later, or it might have only been a few minutes later when Renei found a door. It was just sitting there, all alone. It wasn't even set in a wall, and Renei could see nothing behind it.

_That's weird… I've never seen a door before._

It beckoned to her, though. She wanted to open the door and go through it. Her instincts were telling her this was a good idea and that she should do it.

So she did.

* * *

><p>Renei rolled off the dingy little mattress and fell to the floor with a thud. With a groan, she tried to disentangle herself from the threadbare sheet and stand up. She hadn't managed to open her eyes all the way, and curses spilled out in a steady stream under her breath as the sheet refused to stop wrapping up her legs.<p>

Finally, she managed to extricate herself and stood up, rubbing her face sleepily. A huge yawn cracked her jaw and she winced. A quick check with her fingers revealed her hair to be a tangled mess, and she looked around the shack for the mirror and brush she'd found a while ago while scrounging for D-Wheel parts around Satellite.

Crow walked into the little shack, looking disgustingly awake and energetic. "Are you finally awake? You've been sleeping forever."

Renei mumbled something incoherent about how he was too chipper in the mornings to be the proper Bad Boy type that he was always trying to be, looking under the bed where everyone's duel disks were stored with a vague memory of dropping her brush on the floor yesterday. She had the most duel disks, of course. She needed them to go with whatever outfit she chose for the day. She loved dressing up, and among her wardrobe was a fake Securities uniform, a school girl outfit, and a gothic dress with princessed sleeves. Crow laughed and walked over to their computer, picking up something small.

"Here, catch."

Renei caught it deftly, street reflexes kicking in even though she was still half-asleep. It was her brush, and she mumbled something that could have been "Thanks". She started dragging it through her hair, ruthlessly chasing away knots and ignoring the pain that accompanied the action.

Crow started pacing around, obviously agitated. Renei ignored him and continued to brush her hair, coming awake little by little as she did. It always took her a while to properly wake up. Until then, she was a grumpy-pants who often threw things that were close at hand to whoever had the nerve to come in and be morning people. The kids had learned that a long time ago, and always left to wait outside until she came out of the shack to beg for duels. Crow was the only one who was brave enough to stick around and risk being pelted with projectiles.

Finally, Renei was totally awake, and her brush could find no more snags in her long hair. Crow was still pacing, and Renei asked, "What's eatin' at you?"

Crow stopped pacing and burst out, "Those Securities really get on my nerves sometimes!"

Renei shrugged. "Nothing new about that," she replied, but Crow didn't seem to hear her.

"They hate us duel gangs so much." He leaned up against the rickety old bookcase in a sulky pose.

Renei looked at him in confusion. Why was he picking now to be upset about Securities? Yeah, they were annoying, but they hardly ever came beyond the Rift. The Rift marked the B.A.D Area, and only the worst criminals and scum hid out there. It followed the rules of survival of the fittest. The Enforcers, along with a few others, were oddities out there. They tried to protect those who couldn't defend themselves. Crow took in orphans and made sure they had enough to eat and a safe place to sleep. Renei helped him ensure that nobody messed with the kids or their stuff. Between the two of them, their little corner of the B.A.D. was about as safe as if they were living on the other side of the rift, possibly even safer since Securities wouldn't bother them so much about squatting in ruined, abandoned buildings.

Maybe Crow was upset about yesterday. They'd left the B.A.D Area and crossed the Rift to find presents for Birthday Day yesterday and had come across some Security officer harassing a pair of siblings carrying groceries. He wanted to see a receipt and check the bag to ensure that they had indeed paid for everything and weren't "a pair of thieving shits."

Crow had gotten up in the Security officer's face and told him to back off if he didn't want his ass handed to him on a plate. The officer had called in back-up and tried to beat up Crow for "interfering with justice." Renei had rushed in to help defend Crow, and they'd gotten hauled into the Security building. Their decks had been confiscated, but Renei had managed to talk fast and get them out before the officer in charge had scheduled them to be Marked.

"Hey, you were the one that got our decks confiscated, remember? I don't know why you're complaining so much. At least we managed to get away without a Mark, right?"

Crow just nodded dejectedly. Renei stood up and went over to place a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't worry about it so much, Crow. We'll get our decks back."

That made him straighten up and a light came into his eye. Renei blanched as she saw it. She knew that look. It was the look he got before he came up with some ridiculous and usually very dangerous scheme.

"Okay, let's go sneak into the Securities' storage facility together and get our cards back!"

She started to shake her head vehemently, but Crow ignored it. "You have a Security uniform, right? Put that on, let's go right now!" Obviously, elaborate plans were forming in his mind, and she just wasn't able to see them. He dashed over to the shelves where they stored clean clothes and pulled it out. It was a straight black and didn't stick to Security regulations strictly, but Renei had spent a lot of time studying the uniforms last summer and had made a pretty good copy so that she could have something official-looking to parade around in. She was good at making outfits, and all the kids came to her whenever they ripped their clothes clambering around in the ruins of the city. Her mends were the sturdiest and the least noticeable.

She took the uniform from him, and said, "What's your plan?"

Crow grinned and answered, "I cause a distraction and you sneak in and get our cards back!"

Renei stared at him, nonplussed. "Is there more to it?"

Crow shrugged. "No. Should there be?"

She pinched the bridge of her nose and inhaled deeply to keep from exploding at his imbecility. "Yes. Yes, there should." Renei began counting things off on her fingers.

"One, Securities aren't total idiots. My uniform won't pass even casual inspection, and somebody _will_ notice. Two, if I'm sneaking around in the building like a fucking ninja, it'll be really obvious I don't belong there, and that'll get me caught for sure. Three, we don't even know anything about where the decks might be stored or how many Securities are in the building. We'd be going in blind!"

Crow was shuffling his feet in embarrassment by the time Renei finished. He hadn't thought it through at all, and was just now realizing it. She sighed and patted him on the shoulder.

"Come on, Crow "The Bullet" Hogan! You're supposed to be our resident thief, our bona fide B.A.D. Boy. Now chill out and _think_ for a minute."

Crow nodded and screwed up his face into his 'thoughtfulness' expression. After a few minutes, he snapped his fingers.

"We won't go today. We'll scout it out first. Isn't there an old office building across from it that we can get into?"

Renei thought about it and shrugged. "I'm not sure. The kids would know better than me. They're the ones clambering all over the city and doing god knows what."

Crow nodded. "It might actually be a good idea to have the kids come too. If anything, they can help cause a distraction."

She nodded encouragingly. "Yeah! And if the guards get used to seeing the kids around, we might be able to use them as misdirection if we need to. We could slip them our decks and lead the officers away on a chase while they go home."

Crow pointed at her enthusiastically. "Great idea! We can just tell them it's a game, they'll love it! I'll go get them and meet you over there."

He dashed out, and Renei shook her head in amusement. He had so much energy, and he loved hanging out with the kids. Despite his attempts to keep up a bad boy persona, he was like a big brother to all of them. She admired his ability to understand and connect with the little boogers. She just couldn't seem to get them at all, and didn't understand why they insisted on staying with her.

It didn't take long for Crow to convince the kids to come with them to the storage facility, and they were soon ensconced in one of the upper floors of the office building he'd remembered. The kids ran wild, and a few even went on 'secret missions' from Crow to pester the guards about their jobs. They took to their roles like ducks on water. Renei and Crow watched carefully from their vantage point, ready to step in if any of the kids looked like they were getting into trouble.

Renei noticed that the guards always swiped something in some sort of reader before going into the building, and pointed it out to Crow. He decided to round up some of the older kids and staged a chase, where they led him past a leaving guard that he could 'accidentally' stumble into and empty the man's pockets in the process. Crow was a gifted pickpocket and the guard had no idea what had really happened. Back in their temporary hiding spot, they went through the loot and found a yellow card that had the Securities' logo on it with a magnetic strip. Renei thought it was probably what the guards used to get into the building and Crow agreed.

By the time the sun was starting to set, the kids were tired and Crow decided to call it a day. Renei helped him round up everyone and together, they headed home.

The next morning, Crow had a plan all worked out. As Renei brushed her hair, he explained it to her. She'd dress up in her fake Securities uniform. Crow would cause a distraction, letting her walk up to the entrance without being stopped by the guards. Once inside, she'd find their decks and walk straight back out. If anyone came after her, his D-Wheel would be hidden nearby, and she could escape on that. Renei liked the plan, and was soon dressed and ready to go.

Crow had gone ahead, taking the kids as back-up just in case things went wrong. Renei felt bad about putting them in any possible danger, especially when they didn't comprehend the gravity of the situation and believed it all a great game, but Crow had assured her that the kids were in less danger than the two of them. The kids were like little goats in their ability to climb and jump all over the city ruins, and they could pass through small spots more easily to evade pursuit.

By D-Wheel, it took only a few moments to reach the meeting spot. Crow was waiting, and helped her to conceal the D-Wheel from passing opportunists. He handed her the stolen security card and said, "All righty! I'm gonna lure out those Securities guarding the gate. You hide somewhere around there."

Off he went, sauntering up to the gate and putting on his cheekiest act.

"Hey, _Securities_." His voice was full of contempt, and he casually flipped them off. "Looks like you got nothin' to do!"

The Security guards might have looked angry, but Renei couldn't see their expressions behind their helmets. One of them shouted in recognition.

"Hey! You're that guy from the other day! What are you doing here, you bastard?"

Renei recognized the voice of one of the officers Crow had punched the day they'd gotten arrested and paled. Were there others from that incident here at the storage facility? What were they doing here anyway?

Crow seemed to recognize him too, and said flippantly, "Oh, it's you. How's your eye? Is it still all black or did it turn a lovely shade of puke green yet?" He looked at his fingernails casually. "Either way, I thought it was a pretty nice improvement to your face."

A lot of the guards were shaking with anger, but that last comment made them snap. The guard Crow had been taunting shouted, "You're not getting away this time, asshole!" As one, they all ran after Crow, who'd scampered off, laughing loudly.

Renei shook her head at Crow's ability to push people's buttons as she calmly walked through the gate and went up to the entrance. With a swipe of the security card, she was in.

Oddly, the interior of the building was kind of dark. There were a few lights on, but not enough to keep the entryway lit up properly. She saw the hallways were even darker.

_The hell? They forget to pay the electric bill or something?_

Whatever it was, it would work to her advantage. It would be hard to make out her features and even harder to recognize her out in full daylight afterward. It would also hide the uniform's deficiencies better.

She picked a hallway at random and walked down it purposefully. The trick to making sure nobody stopped and questioned her was to look like she was on an errand and belonged there. People were shockingly gullible and wanted to see that everything was normal. It was when things looked out of place that they started asking questions. A person in a Securities uniform acting like a sneaky ninja would have been out of place here, and somebody would have investigated.

There was another officer, but he just nodded as they passed each other. Renei thanked whatever gods existed for the stroke of luck that had made the electricity go out, and kept going.

More luck awaited her as she swiped the security card through the card reader next to the door at the end of the hall. File cabinets lined the walls of the small rooms, and inside were dozens and dozens of decks.

_Jackpot._

After a bit of shuffling through the cabinets, she found her deck as well as Crow's. Carefully tucking them into her pockets, she turned to leave.

Right then, a Security officer walked in, carrying a box and grumbling about the dark hall. He looked up sharply at her and she froze, not knowing what to do. A thrill of fear went up her spine and her stomach twisted into nervous knots.

"What are you doing in here?"

Her mind raced through the possibilities. Any excuse she made would instantly be double-checked, and it wouldn't take long for them to figure out the ruse. She'd be arrested and Marked on the spot, then probably thrown in jail for the rest of her life. If she ran, that would instantly tell the officer she was doing something wrong, and he'd alert the rest of the facility to nab her. Whatever she did, she was fucked.

"You're supposed to be out front, guarding the gate! Get back to your post!" He jerked his head towards the door, and Renei gladly hurried out past him and almost ran back down the hall, trying to keep her gasps of relief quiet.

_That was close!_ Renei knew she'd been lucky that the officer had made his own assumptions about what she was doing and where she was supposed to be. It had saved her from coming up with her own excuse.

She'd been _that close_ to being arrested.

There was still nobody guarding the front, and Renei was soon outside its walls. It wasn't long till the fear wore off and giddy triumph replaced it. As she retrieved Crow's D-Wheel and rode away, it took all the effort she had not give a whoop of excitement. She'd done it! She'd successfully stolen from Securities! Not only that, she'd done it right underneath their noses in plain sight! Her euphoria with the success of her mission stayed all the way until she arrived in the neighborhood of the little shack and sauntered inside.

Crow had been pacing nervously inside their makeshift home and his face filled with relief as he saw her.

"Oh, you're finally back. Took you long enough." His words were offhand, but his voice cracked momentarily, betraying the worry he'd obviously felt while she was gone.

With a ridiculously big grin on her face, she reached into her pocket and took out his deck. His face lit up as she held it out, and he took it with shaking hands. His reaction to getting his deck back would have almost been comical, if Renei hadn't already known how important it was to him. She might change her decks up to suit her current moods, but Crow was devoted to his Blackwings. They'd gotten him out of a million and one scrapes and had given him a measure of power over his own life back when he'd been nothing more than a filthy street rat fighting for survival.

It was a few minutes before he regained his composure. Once he had, he clapped her on the shoulder grinning fiercely. "Nice work! Those Securities losers never knew what hit 'em!" His voice held all the violent glee from having helped outwit their greatest enemies.

Crow started going through his deck and gave a cry of despair. "_Gahh!_ My side deck's all shuffled in with my main! Those fucking Securities! Why can't they respect a man's deck?!"

More curses flew out as he began inspecting his deck more closely, and Renei had to keep from giggling. It was so absurd that the thing Crow was most worried about was having his side deck shuffled into his main deck, instead of being arrested on trumped-up charges and pressed into gang labor at Satellite's correction facility.

She turned and saw Itsuki peeking in through the open door, watching them with eager eyes. He came in when she noticed him and waved his arms excitedly

"Renei! You got your deck back, right? Let's duel!"

She looked at Crow, who was now sitting on the floor with his cards spread out around him. He didn't look up, but said, "Yeah, you two duel while I rebuild this spare deck… " She heard him add under his breath, "Next time I run across those damn sons-of-bitches, I'll duel their asses to the City and back! Fucking assholes, messing up my deck…"

She shrugged, and faced Itsuki, who was ignoring Crow and looking at her hopefully. Crow happened to glance up and see, then laughed.

"Y'know, he's been worried sick about you the whole time you've been gone." He had a wicked grin on his face, and his tone was relentlessly teasing.

Itsuki turned red and said furiously, "I have not!" His denial only encouraged Crow.

"Don't lie! You know you have!" His voice changed to a high falsetto, and he clasped his hands in front of his chest in a pose of distress.

"'_Renei is taking so long! I hope she's okay!'_ Remember?" Crow laughed as Itsuki spluttered in protest.

"_Was not_! You're a big meanie, Crow!" He ran outside, and Renei tried to keep herself from bursting out in guffaws of laughter. Crow looked a little bothered though.

"Okay, okay! Calm down! You're always being such a little kid." But his voice held a touch of concern, and he paused his shuffling of his deck.

"He _is_ a little kid, Crow." She was still struggling not to laugh. Itsuki's reaction had been so hilariously juvenile, and the look on his face was priceless, even if the boy _had_ been being teased. He'd had a crush on her for a week now, and had followed her around whenever she wasn't at the Enforcer's hideout. It was adorable, if a little on the annoying side.

He grumbled and said, "Why don't you duel him for a bit? It'll cheer him up right now." He looked up sheepishly and added, "He really was worried about ya. We all were."

She smiled impudently and replied, "All right, I'll go cheer him up and soothe your worried conscience. But you owe me!"

Crow scowled good-naturedly. "Right. I'll just add that to my tab of all the other things I owe ya for."

Renei went outside to find Itsuki. As was expected, he wasn't far away. He'd gone to sulk by a pile of shipping crates, and was drawing doodles in the dust when she found him.

"Crow says he's sorry for teasing you."

Itsuki just mumbled something unintelligible in response, and Renei chuckled.

"Hey, Itsuki. You still want to duel?"

He looked up at her hopefully. "You mean it?"

She shrugged with a grin and stuck out her forearm. "I can't imagine why else I'd bring out my duel disk. Come on, let's go."

Itsuki leapt up excitedly, and they began their duel. She didn't go easy on him at all, and it was over in a few turns. Rather than being depressed, though, he jumped into the air excitedly.

"That was so cool, Renei! That last combo was awesome!" She grinned at his enthusiasm and ruffled his hair, making it stick up in all directions.

"I know! I'm really impressed with your skills!" Crow said from the doorway of the shack in mock excitement. Renei and Itsuki turned, and the young boy ran over to where Crow stood.

"Wow! Did you see that last attack? So cool!" Itsuki began jabbering about the duel to Crow, seeming to have forgotten how he'd been teased earlier in his excitement. Crow listened good-naturedly, making appropriate noises of awe and wonder in all the right places.

Suddenly, Crow looked up at Renei and said, "Hey, I almost forgot. Yusei was lookin' for ya."

Renei frowned a little and asked, "What did he need?"

Crow shrugged. "He was talkin' about D-Wheels, so he's probably around the old highway in the northern slums."

Renei nodded thoughtfully. The northern slums were where Yusei kept his workshop. "Alright then. I'll probably be back sometime tonight. Don't wait up for me."

With that, she left the guys to their manly discussions about card games and headed out.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Another Author's Note<strong>__**: I always hated this part in the game. You wake up confused about what's going on, then find out you got your decks taken away. Crow just happens to conveniently have a Securities uniform and key card, and the guards at the front are distracted like children with ADD.**_

_**Honestly, if everyone in Securities was that dumb, why the heck would they be so feared in Satellite? I tried to give them some credit for intelligence here, but I'd love to hear how you guys thought it turned out.**_

_**I also wanted to emphasize that Crow is a thief. In the Japanese anime, he's introduced as sort of a Robin-Hood-bad-boy type with a soft spot for children. I always liked that about him, and was a little disappointed when the game made him out to be a glorified baby-sitter.**_

_**Don't worry, there's no OCxAnyone at any time in this story. There's only implied potential, but nothing definitive really happens. All relationships will be canon, so expect to see CarlyxJack and maybe AkixYusei.**_

_**This was hard for me to write, and I ended up taking a lot of creative liberties in this chapter. Let me know what you thought!**_


	7. Prototypes and Challenges

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

Prototypes and Challenges

Renei found Yusei by the old highway in the northern slums just like Crow had told her, outside his little workshop where he worked when the weather was bad. Yusei looked up at the sound of her footsteps and waved. "Over here, Renei!" He had smudges of oil and dirt all over his face, which meant he'd been working hard on D-Wheels.

As she got closer, she saw him unhooking leads that fed into his computer from a familiar-looking beat-up D-Wheel. Yusei carefully wound up the leads and said, "That prototype D-Wheel I was holding on to for you is running pretty good now."

She felt a rush of excitement. A while ago, Renei had come across a burned-out hulk of a D-Wheel and had begged Yusei to help her restore it. Even though he'd been busy with building his own, he'd agreed. She'd spent hours scouring the city for parts, and Yusei had taught her a lot about the way D-Wheels worked as he practically rebuilt hers from scratch. She'd even helped with installing a lot of the equipment under his watchful eye. Renei was nowhere near the genius he was, but now she was confident in her ability to mod D-Wheels and had gotten satisfaction out of seeing her very own D-Wheel blossom under her and Yusei's careful hands.

"You mean… It's ready to ride?" Her voice came out almost in a squeak as she tried to keep from leaping around with joy.

He nodded, his normally serious face lit up with a grin. "Wanna take it for a test ride?"

"You've got to ask? Of course I want to take it for a ride!" Renei pumped her fist excitedly. She wouldn't have to borrow anybody else's D-Wheel now that she had her own! Yusei had taught her to ride, since everyone else already knew how, and Kiryu thought it would be a good idea in case somebody got hurt in one of their turf wars and couldn't drive. Renei had fallen in love with the thrill of the wind against her body and the intensity of high-speed runs through the ruins of Satellite, and had lusted for her own D-Wheel almost the minute she'd begun riding.

He handed her a riding suit and a helmet. Both looked brand new, and she looked at them in astonishment.

"I'll get it ready for you. Why don't you put on these?" He looked faintly amused by her stunned reaction.

"A-are you serious? How-" She wondered where he'd gotten the outfit from, but wasn't sure if she wanted the answer. Yusei was honorable, and asking if he'd stolen the riding suit would bring that honor into question. So she took the suit and helmet, then quickly ducked into the little shack that Yusei used to work whenever he wasn't outside to change.

By the time she came back out, Yusei had the D-Wheel purring like a contented cat. He turned and grinned at her, giving her a thumbs-up.

"Are you ready to ride?"

Renei put on the helmet and walked over, touching the D-Wheel almost reverently before mounting.

Yusei nodded and said, "It's still not perfect, so don't go too crazy, okay?"

She gave a thumbs-up and waved for him to move back. Then, her heart leaping excitedly in her chest, she gunned the motor and took off.

Immediately, she knew Yusei had done an awesome job restoring the D-Wheel. It responded to her touch immediately, with the grace and agility of a dancer. She wound her way through the ruins of Satellite, dodging holes in the overpasses and piles of debris, testing to see how close she could get to things without touching them. It seemed as if the D-Wheel rode with dignity, taking rough patches in stride without a single complaint. Renei opened up the throttle and was pleased to find that increased speed didn't reduce its handling capabilities by much. If anything, it performed even better, requiring only the lightest of movements to easily avoid obstacles.

She rode for a while, getting herself used to its every nuance and quirk, and putting it through its paces, testing its limits. Finally, when the D-Wheel was starting to feel like an extension of her body, she made her way back to Yusei's little makeshift workshop and made a dramatic sliding stop in front of him.

She took off her helmet and said, "Yusei, you are a fucking god with D-Wheels. I love it! It ran just perfectly!"

He grinned at her enthusiasm, and said, "It ran pretty good, huh? It's not ready for a turbo duel just yet, but just riding should be no problem."

Renei shook her head in amazement, still impressed with Yusei's mechanical prowess. She didn't care about Turbo Dueling as much as Yusei and Jack did. Just having the mobility the D-Wheel offered was good enough for her. When she and Yusei discussed how to go about restoring it at first, she'd been adamant about getting it mobile first, and he had willingly obliged.

She turned it off and carefully wheeled it into its space next to the other D-Wheels Yusei was working on. After helping him pull out the new ring-type D-Wheel, she stood by as an assistant, handing Yusei tools whenever he needed them. The work was mostly done in silence, since Yusei was completely absorbed in the music of the machinery he worked with.

Finally, as the sun was approaching the horizon, Yusei blinked owlishly and asked what time it was. Renei shrugged, but thought it was probably time for them to wrap it up and head back. She helped him put away his equipment and the ring D-Wheel, and they walked part of the way back together, chatting about riding techniques and where the best places to scavenge for parts were. It wasn't long before Yusei went his own way, back to his foster mother's home that served as an orphanage for Satellite. Renei continued on alone, back to the shack she shared with Crow and the various kids of the B.A.D. Area.

About halfway there, she spotted Kiryu, duel disk on arm, at the same time he spotted her. He approached her with an eager spring in his step.

"Hey, Renei? How ya feeling?"

She shrugged casually, saying, "Oh, you know. My D-Wheel is up and running. Nobody's messed with me lately except for Securities, and Crow and I took care of that already."

He laughed at her flippant remark and said, "Not doing enough enforcing?! Then we'll have to get aggressive and attack other duel gangs' turf!"

This statement surprised Renei momentarily. Before, Kiryu had only led the Enforcers against duel gangs whose members had harassed or attacked them first. This policy appealed to the guys' sense of honor, and Renei respected that they took the moral high ground in a place as lawless as the B.A.D Area. It was part of why she'd started following Kiryu in the first place. This sudden eagerness to go on the offensive sent a note of discord through her, and she wondered what had changed.

Kiryu kept talking, his imagination clearly fired up by his ambitions. "That's right! The Enforcers will be the only ones to survive this turf battle and rule Satellite!"

He raised his fist in a gesture of triumph, then looked at her with an keen expression. "Before the next turf battle, let's duel to make sure you're up to par!"

Renei grinned at the prospect of a duel against Kiryu, forgetting her misgivings for the moment. He was a much more challenging opponent than little Itsuki, and she pulled her Dragon deck out of her belt box as answer. Their duel disks lit up with a bright hum and glowed with the rainbows of the holographic projectors. Kiryu said, "Show me what you've got!"

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: **__**The duel will be at the beginning of the next chapter. I was going to do it in this one, but it's getting long, and I decided to use it to set up relationship dynamics between Renei and Kiryu. No, nothing romantic, so don't worry.**_

_**This was a hard chapter to write and to name. It feels a bit like filler stuff, but I did my best to flesh out a little more of Renei's personality with it. What do you guys think?**_


	8. Struggle to Win

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

Struggle to Win

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: This chapter starts off with a duel. You can skip it if you want, it's not too important. I'll let you know when it's done.**_

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><p>They both drew their first five cards, and Kiryu seized the initial draw. "I'm going to set two face-downs and then set a monster in face-down Defense! Let's see how you handle my amazing strategy, Renei!"<p>

She shook her head as she drew. "Kiryu, you're so full of it sometimes." After a brief moment of studying her hand, she added, "Let me set two face-downs and-"

He interrupted her with a laugh and said, "Activate trap! Say hello to my _Coffin Seller_! As I destroy your monsters, you'll take damage until your Life Points are no more!"

Renei rolled her eyes and grinned. "Uh-huh. As if I'll let you touch my Dragons. Anyway, as I was saying, I'm gonna summon my _Luster Dragon_." The sapphire dragon appeared with a half-purr, half-growl noise behind her, looming in a vaguely threatening manner.

"_Luster Dragon_, why don't you go take that monster of his out?"

The dragon moved with astonishing speed, and with a swipe of its deadly claws, shoved the face-down card up. It turned out to be _Newdoria_, which leapt up out of the card to seize _Luster Dragon_ by the neck.

Kiryu smirked and said mockingly, "What was that about not letting me touch your Dragons? I use _Newdoria_'s effect to destroy your _Luster Dragon_!"

Renei groaned as both monsters burst into fragments and her dragon was sent to the Graveyard. Her Life Points took a hit of 300 due to _Coffin Seller_ as well, which she didn't appreciate. "Ok, then. I end my turn. But don't think you're going to get away with that kind of crap again!"

Kiryu just flashed a cocky smile at her as he drew. "I summon _Emissary of the Afterlife_!"

In response, Renei flipped her trap _Bottomless Trap Hole_ face-up in activation. "Yeah, that's what I called _denied!_ My trap removes from play a monster you summon with an attack of 1500 or more. So long, _Emissary_. Can't say I'll miss you."

Kiryu glared at her and said, "Hell no! I activate my _Destruction Jammer_! By discarding one card, I can negate your _Bottomless Trap Hole_, and my _Emissary_ stays on the field. Then I'm going to attack you directly!"

The creepy fiend rushed towards Renei and slashed at her with a scythe of darkness pulled from the air, reducing her Life Points to 6100. Kiryu laughed as she flinched, then said, "I'll set another card and end my turn. Go on, minion. See if you can best _that!_"

Renei felt a flash of irritation at being called a minion. Kiryu had a tendency to get a big head when he was ahead in the duel. It rarely affected his dueling skills, but it was kind of annoying when he taunted her.

"Just watch me, Kiryu." She drew and said, "I'll summon my _Red-Eyes Wyvern_. He'll attack your _Emissary_."

Kiryu smirked, even as his Life Points were reduced to 7800. "Why, thank you! I'll activate _Emissary_'s effect and add one level three Normal monster to my hand. You can too, but if I remember correctly, you don't have any in that particular deck." He took his deck, shuffled through it for a moment, then said, "I pick _Hunter Dragon_."

Renei waved a hand in dismissal. "Whatever. You go."

He drew and said, "I summon _Dark Hunter_. Right now, since I have two cards in my hand, it gains an extra 400 attack points due to its effect. So say goodbye to your _Wyvern_!"

As the hunter leaped at her _Wyvern_, Renei activated her other trap. "I equip my _Metalmorph_ to _Red-Eyes Wyvern_ to increase his attack by 300."

_Red-Eyes Wyvern_ took on a metallic sheen as his attack became 2100. Too late, _Dark Hunter_ tried to backpedal, but smashed into the dragon and shattered, dealing Kiryu 100 points of damage. He cursed and said, "Screw you! Take your turn already."

"I will, thank you very much." Renei drew with a little grin and said, "I'll sacrifice my _Red-Eyes Wyvern_ to summon _Strong Wind Dragon_. I'll end up with another 300 points of damage from _Coffin Seller_, but that's alright. _Strong Wind Dragon_ will make up for it by gaining attack equal to half of my _Wyvern_'s original attack.

The large green dragon appeared with a roar and flapped its wings, creating a swirl of holographic dust. Renei pointed at Kiryu and said, "_Strong Wind Dragon_, attack him directly."

Quick as a flash, Kiryu said, "I'll activate my _Ultimate Offering_ and set one monster face down." He looked triumphant, but Renei shrugged.

"Fine. _Strong Wind Dragon_ will just have to attack the face-down instead. By the way, he deals piercing damage."

Kiryu let loose a stream of invectives as his face-down revealed itself to be _Hunter Dragon _ with only 100 Defense Points. Apparently, he had forgotten _Strong Wind Dragon_'s ability and was regretting not putting his dragon in Attack Mode so as to lessen the damage. His Life Points sank to 4000 and Renei waved a hand. "Your move, Kiryu."

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: Most of the duel's over now. Important plot-related things are resuming. Cookies for those who read it, as usual!**_

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><p>The rest of the duel went by quickly as Renei continued to beat up Kiryu with her <em>Strong Wind Dragon<em>. His Life Points finally hit zero, and she pumped her fist triumphantly. For a minute, there was a flash of anger in Kiryu's eyes, and a little shiver went up Renei's back as she saw it. Her misgivings from earlier returned, and little things that she'd noticed but hadn't given much thought to began to creep into her mind. Like the way Kiryu no longer said they would unite Satellite, but would conquer and rule it, or how he seemed to have a shorter temper lately. Plus the fact that he wanted to start attacking other duel gangs without provocation made her tense as he walked over to her through the fading duel hologram lights.

Kiryu suddenly grinned and clapped her on the shoulder unexpectedly. "Not bad… Keep it up!" he said. A sly look came into his eyes just then and he added, "How about you become the leader of the Enforcers instead of me?"

Renei didn't know how to respond to that, and just stared blankly. He laughed at her expression and said, "Heh… Kidding!" then punched her lightly in the shoulder. She gave a short laugh as well, relaxing. Maybe she was just imagining things. Kiryu was his same, good-natured self. Maybe he'd just been a bit stressed planning for the next turf battle. It was enough to make anyone snappy. And they were so close to uniting all of Satellite, so Kiryu must just be impatient to finally get it over with and move to his next grand plan.

He looked at her more seriously and said, "You seem to be in pretty good shape, so I've decided that tomorrow's our next turf battle." Kiryu moved away a bit, surveying the surrounding city ruins with a fierce expression. "We've almost conquered all of Satellite. We're about to bring big things to this town!"

Then he turned back to her and pointed. "Make sure you let Crow know about tomorrow." With that, he walked away.

Renei walked slowly back home, thinking. She didn't particularly care about the turf battles one way or the other. She always participated whenever Kiryu planned one in order to protect her friends and expand her reputation as a tough bitch, but it didn't matter to her how much territory the Enforcers controlled. No matter how many turf battles the Enforcers won, they wouldn't be able to leave Satellite anyway. Secretly, that's what Renei wanted to do, leave Satellite and travel the world. Martha, Yusei's foster mom, had a travel book that had beautiful photos of places around the world. She'd only seen the book a couple of times, but every time it made her wish to go see some of those places in person. She hadn't told anyone about this, since it was a stupid wish and more likely to get her laughed at than be granted.

She also wondered what Kiryu had planned after they'd united Satellite. He hadn't told any of the Enforcers yet, but she assumed that in order for it to be successful, there couldn't be any petty duel gang wars to interfere. Renei hoped it would improve Satellite, whatever it was. If she couldn't leave and see new places, she could help Kiryu make Satellite better and stick one in the eye of those snooty mainlanders.

Finally, she walked into the shack to see Crow waiting for her. She told him about the impending turf battle, and he pumped his fists and struck a pose he seemed to think oozed 'bad boy'.

"Heh, just let Crow "The Bullet" here show 'em a thing or two!" Then he pointed at her dramatically and added, "You, too, should be prepared! Don't slack off, and sort your deck out!"

Renei made a face at him and said, "Yes, o master of all things duel-related. I'll be right on that." She walked over to the bookcase full of boxes that were made to look like beat-up books and pulled out one that had the words _Primary Edict_ on the spine and opened it to reveal a stack of cards. She waved it at Crow, saying "There. My deck's all sorted. I think I'm going to sleep now." With that, she closed the box and slid it back into place.

Crow nodded, and then looked as if something else had just popped into his head. "Oh, and don't forget to wear the Enforcers uniform for the match." He grinned at her as she rolled her eyes. "Since we all know how you like to dress up for special occasions."

Renei couldn't help but laugh as she put her current deck in another book-box labeled _Dragon World_ and put her duel disk back under the bed. "All right, all right, I get it. Don't worry, I'll match with all you macho men. Good night, Crow."

"All right, rest up! Tomorrow's a big day!" He sounded cheerful as he walked out of their shack, presumably to double-check that the kids were all accounted for. Renei laid down on the dingy little mattress and soon fell asleep.

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><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: Ending this chapter was difficult. Also, did anyone else find it weird that you seemed to be living with Crow in the game?**_


	9. Laying Down the Law: Avoiding Bruises

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

Laying Down the Law: Avoiding Bruises

Renei managed to wake up without getting tangled in the sheets again, and was able to find a hairbrush without too much trouble. Before long, she was fully awake and dressed in the Enforcer's uniform of jeans, tank top, and leather vest with her hair up and out of her face. Crow swaggered in as soon as she was dressed and said, "All right, today we've got a turf battle against Team Black 'n' Blue!"

Renei groaned and said, "Really? That's their gang's name?"

Crow nodded with his usual grin and said, "Yeah. I like it. They're gonna be the team that's black and blue after we're through with them, after all."

Renei covered her eyes and sighed in exasperation. "How did I know that was coming?"

Crow shrugged and asked, "Ready?"

She glanced at him from between her fingers and replied, "As I'll ever be. Let's go."

Crow punched the air and said "Okay, let's do this! We're gonna meet up with the rest of the team there!" With that, he took off outside, and Renei soon heard the familiar revving of the Blackbird's engine. She grabbed her deck and duel disk, then walked out to find him waiting for her. She hopped up behind him on the bike, and they took off to the site of their next turf battle.

When they arrived, they only found Kiryu waiting for them. The gray-haired young man threw his arms out as if to say "Where the hell've you guys been?" Crow parked and hid the Blackbird, then walked up to Kiryu with a cocky grin. Renei trailed behind him.

Kiryu glared at them. "You're late. Jack and Yusei are already out looking for our opponents." He looked around and said, "This must be the building where Team Black 'n' Blue is hiding." Renei saw his fists clench and he spun back around to face her and Crow with a fierce smile. His expression seemed more feral, and again, Renei was reminded of her misgivings from yesterday. She pushed them away, though, reminding herself that she needed to focus as Kiryu said, "We're so gonna crush all of them!"

He turned to peer up and down the dark, grungy halls while Renei and Crow waited for more information. Crow looked pretty pumped and asked, "So what've you got, Kiryu? Who's the leader?"

Kiryu shrugged. "Oh, I heard their leader is pretty strong, but no one knows who he is. Well, still no match for me." He gave a little laugh as if the idea that anyone could be as tough as him was ridiculous. Never mind the fact that Renei had beaten him yesterday. Their leader looked at them with his more usual expression of excited determination and said, "Anyway, don't get beaten 'til we conquer this area! We can't say we've conquered all of Satellite unless we take over every single area. And I, for one, am not gonna quit until the job's done!"

Renei waved her hand. "Yeah, yeah, we know the drill. Where did Jack and Yusei start looking? I don't wanna go over places they've already been."

Kiryu pointed to the left where a metal door could be dimly made out. "Jack and Yusei are looking around in the basement area. I'll head upstairs! You and Crow check out the first floor." He began heading for the stairs and tossed back over his shoulder, "Duel with everything you got!"

When he'd gone up the stairs, Crow gestured. "I'll go outside and check for any hidden exits. You got this?"

Renei nodded. "I'll sweep this floor. If I need help, I'll holler." She gave Crow a cheeky grin and added, "I probably won't need any help, though. I _am_ an Enforcer, after all."

She set off to the left, carefully examining the piles of junk lying next to the walls for cleverly disguised hiding places. At the end of the hallway, she found something that looked like a wooden door lying on the ground and heard what sounded like somebody breathing hard. After an audible gulp interrupted the harsh breathing, she grinned and lifted it up to find a guy just a little younger than she was wearing a leather jacket with wool collar and cuffs and a red and white baseball cap. He gave a yelp of surprise as she grabbed him and hauled him upright by the jacket. Stumbling around to face her, he said, "I… I wasn't scared, you know!" His trembling voice put the lie to his words.

Renei jerked her chin at him. "What's your name?" Her voice was brusque, but not unkind. She didn't need to bully him into submission, after all. She only wanted to duel him.

He looked at her more closely, and the fear was replaced with a little confidence. "Arashiyama. You're a chick?"

She cocked an eyebrow at him and said "Obviously. You're part of Team Black 'n' Blue, right? I'm an Enforcer, so let's get this over with."

Arashiyama nodded and leered at her. "You look pretty weak to me. Show me what you got!"

She shrugged and pulled out the special duel cuffs that would overload the loser's duel disk. With a lightning-fast flick, she had it connected to her opponent's disk before he saw what was coming and attached the other end to hers. His eyes widened in surprise, but he got himself under control and began muttering under his breath. From where Renei stood, it sounded like "I think I can beat you!"

It turned out that he couldn't. He played a mostly defensive game and couldn't even touch her Life Points once. When his Life Points finally hit zero, the cuffs delivered a jolt that fried his disk's internal circuitry, and he yelped when it gave a little pop and started smoking. Their job finished, the cuffs opened and Renei coiled it up.

"And that's that. Go find somewhere else to play, Arashiyama. I've got more Enforcing to do."

He looked at her with frightened eyes, but tried to smile and held up his hands in a gesture of surrender. "H-hey… You should've told me you were that good before we dueled!" His voice had taken a wheedling tone, as if he was about to start kissing ass in order to get on her good side. Renei just looked at him with disdain and pointed down the hall, then raised her eyebrows significantly. He got the message and booked it out of there.

She headed the other way to check for other members and found Crow, dusting off his hands. He raised his hand in greeting and said, "Hey, did you beat one of 'em?"

She nodded and replied, "More like wiped the floor with him. He took off. You?"

He grinned and said, "Nah. There might be more of them on this floor. I'll hang back and keep looking!"

Renei looked past him to see some stairs. "Okay. I'll go see if I can find more up there and find out how Kiryu's doing." Crow gave her the thumbs up and she began pounding up the stairs.

When she reached the second floor, she heard the sounds of a fight and immediately headed towards it, apprehension making her adrenaline rise. Just a little ways down the hall, she found Kiryu and another guy wearing a leather jacket with wool lining going at each other with their fists. Kiryu ducked under the other guy's swing and spotted her.

"Renei!"

That moment of inattention cost him, as the other guy caught him square in the ribs and sent Kiryu sprawling on the ground, gasping for air. Renei pulled out the duel cuffs and let a length of it slide out in case she needed to use it as a weapon. The other guy faced her with a sneer, then kicked Kiryu.

"Oh, look, your girlfriend's here!" He laughed and kicked again, drawing a grunt of pain from the downed Enforcer. Renei winced, but didn't move to attack. The other guy looked a lot stronger than her, and she had a feeling that if she tried going toe to toe with him, she'd end up on the ground desperately trying to pull in air just like Kiryu was right now. Instead, she watched and waited for an opening.

The other guy laughed and said, "Hey, if you wanna save your buddy here, y'know what you gotta do!" He gestured for her to come at him.

Renei snorted. "I got a better idea. How about you go get your disk and we'll duel for him? That way, I won't catch crap from my mom for hitting a girl."

The other guy's face darkened at that, and he started for her like he wanted to pound on her, too. She bounced back a few steps and activated her duel disk, the holographic lights dancing.

"Or are you afraid of losing to little ol' me?" Renei continued to taunt him, knowing that she just needed to buy Kiryu enough time to recover from the punch. To her surprise, though, the other guy straightened and said, "Ok, deal. And when I win, I'm gonna beat the shit out of you, too. Give me a sec."

He walked over to a pile of junk and pulled out a beat-up duel disk, then slid it onto his arm. As soon as he activated it, he said, "Heh! Now it's your turn to go down!"

Again, Renei flicked out one end of the duel cuffs, neatly catching his duel disk, then attaching the other end to hers. He looked surprised for a moment just like Arashiyama had before, then scowled. She ignored him and drew.

The duel was unexpectedly easy for her to win. Before long, she'd overloaded his duel disk and had the duel cuffs back in her hand. Kiryu had mostly recovered, and by the time the other guy had thrown off his duel disk and lunged for Renei, the gray-haired young man was able to fling himself at her attacker. They fell to the floor struggling, but Kiryu soon got the upper hand and had his forearm pressed into his opponent's throat until the guy started to choke.

He leaned in close from behind and said with a hard-edged voice, "What was that about beating the shit out of my Enforcer?"

Renei stood out of reach and stared in horror as Kiryu continued to choke the guy. She could see that Kiryu's victim was trying to say something, and she shouted urgently, "Kiryu, let him breathe!"

After a moment of hesitation, Kiryu let up the pressure on the other guy's throat just enough to let his opponent pull in a gasp of air and start coughing. He managed to choke out a few words in between coughs.

"Take him and go… Our leader will sort out the both of you anyway."

Renei said, "Let him go, Kiryu, come on. I think he's had enough, right?"

Kiryu nodded and released the guy, who fell to the floor and continued to cough. "Sorry, Renei. I got a little carried away."

Renei let out a breath she hadn't realized she'd been holding and said, "That's okay." For a second, she'd been sure Kiryu was going to keep choking the guy until he stopped struggling, but felt relieved now. Even if these guys were their opponents, she wouldn't feel right about killing any of them. They dueled in order to avoid that kind of thing, after all.

Kiryu turned around and snarled down at the guy viciously. "You little punk, sneaking up on me like that! How about we duel fair and square and see who wins then, huh?!"

The other guy just laughed weakly. "Ha! You should be more careful next time!" His voice, rough as it was from his near-strangulation, managed to convey deep contempt perfectly. Kiryu balled his fists and stepped forward, growling, "Why you little…!" Renei grabbed his arm and said in a low voice, "We can't afford anybody getting hurt any worse. What are we gonna do if Securities starts looking for us for real? You beat him already, so let it go."

Kiryu shook her off and said, "Renei, you go ahead! I'm gonna settle this right here, right now!" He started for the other guy, who'd managed to lever himself up by leaning against the wall.

Renei grabbed Kiryu's arm again and said, "Think about the goal, Kiryu! We're supposed to control all of Satellite, right? We can't do that if we're hiding from Securities for beating the crap out of this asshole. Get a grip on yourself, alright?"

Kiryu stood still for a moment, then nodded and relaxed. "Alright, I got it, Renei." He went back into leader mode and added, "Now go ahead, and I'll get the others."

Renei looked at him searchingly, then nodded before heading off down the hall to the left and going up the stairs she found there. This time, she went more slowly, trying to stay quiet. The next floor was quiet, and as she carefully searched the piles of junk, she began to doubt that anyone was up here. Maybe the leader had already made his escape?

A voice made her jump as it said curiously, "Hey, wait a second… Aren't you from the other team? Did everyone lose already…?"

Ahead of her, a door opened and a young brown-haired kid stepped out. He also wore the leather jacket with wool lining that seemed to be Team Black 'n' Blue's uniform. She stared at the kid in surprise as he walked toward her and continued speaking.

"That must mean you've made it to the leader… me, that is."

Renei broke out in laughter. "Seriously? You're just a little kid! You mean those goons take orders from you?"

The kid flushed angrily, but said calmly, "I won't let the team down. So come on. Let's duel."

He activated his duel disk and stood there waiting for her. She laughed again, but stopped when she realized this kid was serious.

"Alright, little boy, I'll play with you. But we're playing by grown-up rules, so that means I'm going to use this."

She flicked one end of the duel cuffs onto the kid's duel disk and had the other end fastened to her own disk. He glanced at the cuffs and said, "Yes, I'd heard about these. It's an interesting way to keep your defeated opponents from challenging you again. I think I prefer my gang's way, though, which is to beat our enemies black and blue." He gave her a slightly scary grin then, and Renei felt shivers go up her spine. "Pain is a wonderful deterrent. Maybe instead of using these duel cuffs on duel disks, you should use them on the people you fight."

Renei scowled and said, "Are you going to talk all day or actually duel me?" Her voice came out harder than she intended, a reaction to the little shivers of fear she'd just experienced. At the tone of her voice, the kid's expression changed to one of pleading defenselessness.

"Go easy on me, please?"

It was a sudden switch, and she wondered if she'd scared the kid. Renei didn't want to go easy, but he was so much younger than her, and it would bug her if she didn't play with a handicap when it came to a serious turf battle like this. Kiryu would probably flay her alive if she agreed to go easy on the kid, but she didn't feel right just going at this kid full out without giving him some kind of advantage.

With a sigh, she said, "Fine. What do you suggest we use as a handicap for me?"

That slightly scary grin was back on the boy's face, and he said, "How about we use a special rule? Every turn, we each draw two cards?"

Renei scrutinized the kid for a while, trying to figure out what his angle was. She'd heard of a rare monster made up of five parts that could win a duel automatically if you held them all at once, and maybe his deck focused on forcing opponents to deck out. Even though her conscience said to give this kid a shot at winning, this kind of advantage probably played right into his deck's strengths and was therefore an unfair one.

"Kid, what's your name?" Renei asked this to buy a moment more to consider.

"I'm Hiroyuki."

_An unfair advantage, huh? Maybe not. Two cards per draw means twice as many chances to pull a card I want. I'll just keep my head and ride this out, just like always._

Going against her instincts, Renei nodded and said, "Fine, Hiroyuki. Two cards every draw. So let's do this."

They began the duel. Hiroyuki took the first turn and drew two cards. The duel went on for a long time, but eventually, Renei managed to beat him without decking out. During the middle of their battle, she'd had a horrible thought that he might own the five pieces of that monster, but in the end, he either couldn't gather all the pieces or didn't own it.

When she won, the duel cuffs overloaded his duel disk, and Hiroyuki flung it from him with a yelp. He looked at her with tears in his eyes. "Aw man, I lost!" He sniffled for a bit, making Renei feel bad. She almost wanted to walk over to him and comfort him, since he looked so pathetic in that oversized coat, trying not to cry in front of the person who beat him.

After one big sniffle, he bravely said, "You're pretty good." Another sniffle, and he began again. "Everyone said I should be the leader 'cause I'm so strong, but… I'm not sure if I agree anymore…"

He looked up at her with big, tear-filled eyes. "I hope everyone will believe me when I tell them how good you were. Anyway," he sniffed, "I'm going home now. Bye."

With that, he walked dejectedly off. Renei wasn't normally the motherly type, but something about this kid's sadness touched her. When he disappeared down the stairs, she threw up her hands and was about to go after him when she heard him shout frantically, "Clock! Arashiyama! Anyone! Hurry, go upstairs and beat that weakling black and blue!"

_That little shit! All that was just an act to gain my sympathy and let my guard down!_

Renei heard footsteps pounding up the stairs and frantically looked around for an escape. She didn't know where the rest of the Enforcers were, and despite her dueling prowess, she was still female and no match for a bunch of guys set on literally pounding her into the dirt. She had just spied a door and was about to dive through it when a strong hand clamped on her elbow. She spun with a snarl, ready to lash out and fight for her life when she noticed the giant shock of orange hair and the M-shaped Mark on a wide forehead.

"Crow!" His name came out as almost a sob of relief, and she started laughing at her idiocy while she leaned on him, sounding a touch hysterical. He gingerly patted her back in bewilderment until she pulled herself together and stood up straight. Jack was there, too, standing with his arms crossed and eyes closed until she'd composed herself.

Crow looked at her worriedly, and asked with apprehension, "You won?" Renei grinned weakly at him and nodded.

Crow pumped his fist. "All right! After all that talk about how strong their leader was, I gotta tell ya, I was a little nervous!"

Renei just shook her head. "The only thing strong about that kid was his acting skills. You should have seen him turn on the waterworks. He had me taken in, too."

Crow looked puzzled and said, "Wait a sec… Was that kid that just passed by their leader?!"

Renei nodded again, and Crow's puzzlement turned into astonishment. Before he could launch into exclamations declaring such a thing to be impossible, Jack spoke up.

"Age doesn't matter. Just skill. That's what dueling is all about. Especially here in the B.A.D Area."

That shut Crow's mouth and set him to thinking, while Renei rolled her eyes. Jack liked to make such kingly pronouncements and had the timing mastered to perfection. It was a carefully practiced act on his part, and all the Enforcers knew it. He felt he was destined for greatness, and spent his time filling the role.

Finally, Crow admitted, "I guess that's true. We're all who we are today because of dueling."

They all stood quietly for a little bit, reflecting on how dueling had shaped them in various ways, until finally, Crow clapped his hands together and ended the solemn moment. He said, "Okay, let's meet up Kalin and Yusei and get back to the hideout."

Jack nodded and set off without a word, leaving Crow and Renei to follow along behind him.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: You mean you've made it through this ridiculously long chapter? Wow, here's some pudding for your efforts, I appreciate it.**_

_**So in my head, Team Black n' Blue is made up of a bunch of guys who call each other brothers despite having no blood ties. They took in this adorable kid and he's now their figurehead leader/mascot. They rely on physical intimidation to keep other duel gangs off their turf rather than their skills, hence their team name.**_

_**Isn't it nice how almost everyone in Yugioh accepts a children's card game as the best way to solve all disputes and problems, and then sticks by the results?**_


	10. Victory and War Counsel

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

Victory and War Counsel

The hideout was really just the remains of an office building on the edge of a cliff that jutted out over a lower part of the city. Once, this had been a business district, but after the Moment Disaster had split Satellite from the mainland, a large chunk of land had been pushed upward, creating the cliff. Now the Enforcers controlled the ruined building and were able to see most of their conquered territory from their war room, which was open to the sky on one side as well as high enough to see the ocean between them and Neo-Domino City.

The Enforcers were currently gathered there, watching as Kiryu bent over their Territory Map and used a fat black Sharpie to shade in the turf they'd just conquered. Crow sat on a makeshift bench of concrete chunks while Jack and Yusei leaned against the wall near the door. Renei sat with her legs crossed on the floor near Crow, and everyone was grinning with excitement at being able to fill in another section of the Territory Map. When Kiryu had finished, he held the map up triumphantly and said, "All right! Now we've got control of that area, too!"

Yusei and Jack bro-fisted while Crow gave a whoop and said, "Haha, yeah!" Then, in a lower voice, he added to Renei, "I can't believe their leader was that little kid, though!"

Kiryu heard the comment and looked sharply at Crow, saying, "Hey, a leader is a leader, kid or not. He was pretty tough." Then he looked at Renei and pointed at her with a grin. "But either way, you beat him, and that's all that matters!"

This earned Renei a clap on the back from Crow, while Yusei smiled slightly and nodded at her. Jack, however, was scrutinizing Kiryu. Slowly, he asked, "I… heard you got captured by some rival gang, Kiryu. You okay?"

Kiryu's expression turned furious, and he pounded on the table with his fist at the memory of it. Renei just managed to keep herself from jumping at the suddenness of it. His voice came out in a low growl as he said, "That little punk came out of nowhere and got me from behind! What a dirty trick!"

Then, just as quickly as he'd turned to fury, he became jovial again, saying, "But I guess I would have to resort to tactics like that, too, if I was that bad at dueling!" This made all the Enforcers snort with laughter. It'd been obvious to them all that the members of Team Black 'n Blue depended on muscle and intimidation, not their dueling skills to stay in control.

Yusei leaned forward and asked eagerly, "So did you go all out on him?"

Kiryu's eyes became dark and he said fiercely, "I beat him to a pulp all right…" He glanced in Renei's direction and added with a little grin, "In a duel. Fair and square."

Renei shivered at the memory, seeing him choking that gray-haired guy again and fearing Kiryu wouldn't stop until he held a corpse. Then Crow asked, "Fair and square, eh?" in a teasing voice, and Kiryu said defensively, "What?!" His hands were balled into fists, and Crow leaned back, holding up his hands in surrender and grinning mischievously.

"Nothing, I just feel sorry for the guy. That's all. Getting beaten to a pulp by you in a duel definitely doesn't feel good, I'll tell ya that."

Yusei nodded in agreement while Jack shrugged, though Renei could tell neither of them had missed Kiryu's aggressiveness and were subtly tensed as if for a fight. Kiryu didn't notice and instead shouted, "Hey, he attacked me first!"

Before Crow could bait Kiryu any further, Jack cut in, saying, "Well, more importantly, we've conquered almost all of Satellite." This was acknowledged by the others with a chorus of "Hell yeah."

Jack glared irritably at the interruption and added, "But don't get cocky. It's not over yet."

Crow said, "Yeah, you're right. So what area are we goin' for next?" He looked eagerly at the map lying on the rickety wooden table they were all gathered around. Yusei studied the map speculatively and said calmly, "Don't get ahead of yourself. First, we have to make sure we know our opponents."

Kiryu inhaled deeply, pinched the bridge of his nose, then let out his breath in a whoosh and leaned over the map. "Yusei's right. I'll go stake out the next area tomorrow or something."

Jack nodded in agreement and said pointedly, "All right. Let's call it a day." To Renei, he added, "Get some rest. You may not feel it right now, but your body's probably exhausted."

She blew a raspberry at him and said, "Is it because I'm a girl, Jack? I can keep up with the big boys just fine, thank you!"

Crow laughed and said, "Yeah. It's more like we have trouble keepin' up with you, Renei. You took down that leader like it was nothin'!"

Renei gave a snort and said, "He made me play by special rules, but even with a handicap, I beat him no problem." This made the guys laugh and shake their heads. All of them had gone up against Renei before and been beaten. She was the strongest duelist in their group for sure, even though Kiryu was their leader. The only reason she wasn't in charge was because she had no vision for the future like Kiryu did and didn't want the responsibility of being a leader. He inspired the other guys with his dreams of uniting Satellite under the Enforcers and was perfectly comfortable in the role of leader, even if lately he'd been a bit on edge. Renei just went where he pointed and dueled until there was nobody left to duel. She would help him make Satellite better after they'd united it and would continue to support him even if he was acting a little differently. Being a leader was hard, after all.

Kiryu said "I'll let you know once we decide on our next opponent."

The charisma that had brought them all under his leadership shone for just a moment as he said, "I hope you're as stoked as I am!"

After that pronouncement, Yusei and Jack excused themselves, saying they needed to go see Martha. Crow dashed out, shouting something about how he needed to get back to the kids and check on them. Kiryu left to begin his stake-out, and Renei sat there for a moment wondering what she should do.

She decided to spend the night at the hideout rather than with Crow and the kids. It would be quieter in the morning for one, and for two, she might be able to get a glimpse of a star or two up here in the war room. Satellite was so often covered in smog and pollution that it was nearly impossible to see any stars at night, but sometimes, if you were high up in a building and the sea winds were moving especially fast, enough of the overhanging crap would get moved aside for long enough to let the tiny, flickering stars peek through at her. A memory flickered in her mind as she brought up blankets and cushions to sleep on in the war room.

_Renei and Crow had met each other a few days ago and had begun hanging out together. They were only nine, but since they were both orphans, they had a lot of freedom to explore the ruins of the B.A.D. Area. Today, Crow had convinced her to climb with him up to the top of a building as the sun was setting. By the time they reached the top, the sun had almost sunk completely below the horizon._

_Crow ran over to the edge of the building and spread his arms as wide as they could go. "Look, Renei! I'm a Blackwing! Now I'll attack your Life Points directly!" He rushed at her with a yell and she playfully pretended to take damage and fell on her back to the roof top. Crow flopped down opposite her, both their heads nearly bumping against one another as they looked up at the sky._

_As it got dark, Crow suddenly gave a shout and pointed up at the sky. "Renei, Renei, look! It's a star! A star! Wow, I've never seen one before!"_

_Renei squinted at where he was pointing and was surprised to see a little pinprick of light winking in the sky. Normally, the sky was completely dark at night, covered by the dirty clouds that always hung over Satellite. Nobody Renei ever knew bothered to look up at the sky, so she had never thought to look up, either. The star enchanted her with the way it seemed to dance in place._

_Her voice awestruck, she said, "It's beautiful…"_

_It was the most beautiful thing she'd ever seen, better even then the colorful sunsets that she saw every day because it was so rare. It seemed to twinkle with a secret so wonderful that it couldn't keep it to itself._

_Crow said, "I think you're supposed to make a wish on them. Martha told me! Come on, make a wish with me, Renei!"_

_Renei squinched her eyes shut and made a wish. Once she was done, she wondered if the secret the star seemed to want to share was all the wishes that had been made upon it. She was certainly curious to know._

_She watched the star with Crow until it winked out, covered again by the ever-present clouds._

She smiled at the memory. Since then, she'd only seen a couple of other stars, and had wondered if they were the same one as the one she'd seen way back then. They served to remind her that there were great and beautiful things beyond this sad, dirty little island. She fell asleep while searching for one, and dreamed of skies overflowing with millions of stars, every single one holding onto someone's wish.

_**Ridiculously Long Author's Note**__**: The geography is a bit messed up in this chapter, since I'm not only going off of the map in the game, but off of what I've seen in the anime, and they don't quite match up. In the anime, there's a scene where they're in their hideout on the top floor where part of the room is open to sky. In the background of one of the shots (I think either Jack or Kiryu is in it), you can clearly see ocean and the shore of the mainland off in the distance. It seemed to imply that their hideout was on a side of Satellite that could see the mainland instead of facing out to open sea.**_

_**HOWEVER.**_

_**In the game, your hideout is located on a cliff, beneath which you can see more buildings and houses and stuff. The way the building has been placed would have the open-sky part of the war room facing this view instead of seaward. That area isn't east enough or north enough to have a view of ocean and the mainland like there was in the anime according to the map that's shown when you're picking a new area to go to. The shore of the mainland would have to make a pretty sharp U-turn off-screen and come back down far enough on the left side of Satellite in order for your hideout to have a view of the sea and mainland like in the anime.**_

_**I'm probably thinking way too hard about this.**_

_**Thank you, reader, for taking the time to read this filler-y chapter. Kiryu is turning out to be ridiculously hard to properly motivate into evildoing. Hopefully, I'm doing a halfway decent job of keeping him from suddenly switching from nice, intelligent, idealistic young man to psycho soul-stealing nutcase. Drop a comment and tell me what you think!**_


	11. Laying Down the Law: Enforcers to the Re

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

Laying Down the Law: Enforcers to the Rescue

It was mid-morning by the time Renei woke up in the Enforcer's hideout. She couldn't hear any of the other Enforcers moving around in the ruined building, so she grabbed her Duel Disk and went downstairs. Next to the doorframe at eye-level was a note in Yusei's hand saying, _Renei, I finished installing the rest of your D-Wheel's hardware last night. Since you were still asleep, I took it over to your place. Test it out and bring it back to me if there's any bugs. _She took the note down and headed outside, seeing Jack staring pensively into the distance at the edge of the cliff. He didn't look like he wanted to be disturbed, so Renei decided to go find Crow at their shack in order to have him help her test the D-Wheel.

People were out and about on the streets, talking quietly to one another or scavenging through the heaps of junk that lay next to buildings. Some glared at Renei in her Enforcer uniform, others smiled and waved greetings. She waved back in a friendly manner to those who smiled and stared down the ones who glared, daring them to do something. All of them backed down and hurried to get out of her way.

Finally, she reached the street where the shack was located and was surprised to see two D-Wheels peeling away before taking the first right. They left patches of burned rubber on the ground and Renei wrinkled her nose at the acrid stench that accompanied the black marks.

Just then, Crow walked up behind her and said, "Hey, Renei." She turned to look at him, a puzzled expression on her face as she tried to figure out why those D-Wheels had been in Enforcer territory and so fired up to leave. They didn't look like any of the ones Yusei was currently working on or the ones Sector Security used, so who did they belong to?

Crow immediately noticed her odd expression and quirked a questioning eyebrow at her, asking, "What's up? You look a bit out of it. Is somethin' wrong?"

Renei shrugged and replied, "I don't kno-"

Right then, Annie came running out of the shack, tears streaming down her cheeks. Her normally cheerful face was a mask of fear, and she nearly knocked Crow down as she slammed into his knees and clung to him for dear life.

"Crow! Something awful's happened! Itsuki's been kidnapped!"

The little girl's voice was shrill and edging close to hysteria. Crow tried his best to calm her down and get more details, though Renei could see he was suddenly very worried over the news. Her heart began hammering and she could feel a little knot of anxiety settle into the pit of her stomach. There were lots of disgusting people out there who would pay good money for little boys. In the B.A.D. Area, there were more disgusting people who would see to it that the demand for little boys was filled. She wanted to kick herself now for staying at the hideout instead of coming to guard the kids. If she'd gone back to the shack with Crow, this might not have happened.

"Who kidnapped him, Annie?" Crow had more patience than Renei when it came to the little kids, but he sounded very much like he was close to losing it with the little girl for not being more helpful while Itsuki was in danger.

The little girl shook her head, and managed to get out, "I don't know… But they took him away on a D-Wheel!"

As Crow threw up his hands and began wondering which way the kidnappers would have gone, Renei was already going for her D-Wheel, which was parked next to Crow's.

"Crow, come on! We've got to hurry if we want to catch those guys!"

Crow was a little slow on the uptake. "You saw which way they went?" His voice was bewildered at this sudden demand for action.

Renei was now helmeted and astride her vehicle, waving with frantic impatience for Crow to follow her. "Yes! But we'll lose them if you don't get your ass in gear!"

Crow nodded decisively. "Renei, you go ahead! Hurry! I'll catch up with you."

Renei didn't hesitate any longer, but started her D-Wheel's engine and took off, taking the turn the kidnappers had so sharply that her right knee scraped the ground. She was just in time to see the renegade D-Wheels go racing up a makeshift ramp formed by a partially collapsed section of highway that had snaked through ruined buildings in Satellite. Setting her jaw, she followed, grimly determined to overtake the bastards.

"We're coming to save you, Itsuki!"

Renei swerved in surprise at Crow's voice suddenly sounding inside her helmet and just barely avoided wiping out.

"Oh, shit, sorry, Renei! I forgot that you aren't used to that com system! Don't worry, I'm on your tail. Don't lose those guys!"

She swore at him, but crouched a little lower on her D-Wheel and opened the throttle up even more. Steadily, she gained on her quarry. It seemed they either had a less gifted mechanic than Yusei or were more reluctant to ride at top speeds with their unaccustomed load. She caught a glimpse of Itsuki being forcibly held onto the leading D-Wheel.

_Itsuki! Hold on, I'm coming for you!_

She ground her teeth as she tried to decide how to retrieve the boy. Would it be better to follow these guys and take Itsuki back by force when they dismounted rather than attempt some suicidal high-speed maneuver? They hadn't yet noticed their pursuers, as Renei and Crow were several yards away, but that could change quickly.

Crow apparently had just been thinking along the same lines when his voice sounded in her helmet's com again.

"Renei, fall back a little. Let's not give those assholes a reason to make any mistakes."

Reluctantly, she eased up on her throttle, letting the kidnappers draw slowly ahead. Crow's Blackbird soon paced her, matching her turn for turn.

"We're at the edge of our territory now, and if I'm right, we're gonna be led right to… Yep, there they go."

The kidnappers veered left and headed down off the broken highway toward a veritable warren of ruined buildings. They disappeared into one, and Crow immediately began speeding up.

"Stick right on my ass! I think I know where we're headed, and it'll be easy to get lost in there!"

Renei fell in line behind Crow obediently. They entered the ruins, dim twilight replacing the bright daylight. After a brief, dizzying series of twists and turns, they burst back out into the sunlight. Renei blinked, momentarily dazzled, then hastily yanked her D-Wheel aside to avoid Crow's unexpectedly halted Blackbird. After a heart-stopping squealing of tires, she stopped safely and bowed over her D-Wheel's console in relief.

When she looked up, Crow was already ripping off his helmet and shouting angrily at the two surprised kidnappers.

"Hey! You guys are from Team Dirty Works…! Give us Itsuki back or I'll beat your faces in!"

They both had mohawks and wore studded leather vests over ripped t-shirts. One of them had a hand wrapped roughly around Itsuki's arm, and Renei saw the little boy's face streaked with dirt and tears as he tried futilely to push away the tight grip.

The one not holding Itsuki growled under his breath and muttered something to his companion, who shrugged and scowled at them. As Renei pulled off her helmet and glared at the two of them, the one holding Itsuki stepped back to let the other move forward and speak.

"I'm callin' you Enforcer punks out!"

He brandished his Duel Disk and grinned. As if on cue, the other let go of Itsuki and stepped up next to his partner, also brandishing his Duel Disk. Crow frowned, but Renei saw the glitter of hologram projector lights flash and jumped off her D-Wheel, activating her Duel Disk as she did.

"Crow, I got this one on the left!"

Comprehension dawned on his face, and he activated his Duel Disk before he was forced by the kidnappers into a two-on-one duel with them. Seeing their ploy had failed, the two guys glared at her in rage.

One of them spoke. "Hey! I'd be careful if I was you. Don't underestimate us!"

Renei glanced past them to look at Itsuki, who was standing frozen behind them. His frightened eyes met hers and she tried to tell him through a look that he was safe now and it would be ever so helpful if he started to edge carefully around towards her and Crow. Whether he'd understood her attempts to communicate or just had his courage bolstered by the sight of Duels about to take place with his heroes, he did what she wanted and began to slowly inch his way around.

Crow had noticed, but acted to distract the two kidnappers by saying angrily, "Bring it on! Me and Renei will grind you into the dirt, you scumbags!"

Their Duels started, and Renei did not allow her opponent to get the better of her even once. Once she seized the initial draw, she proceeded to control the duel, not having changed her deck from her gang-busting burn one from their last turf war. Her opponent wasn't great, but she did her best to keep him solely focused on her instead of on Itsuki or his partner and Crow. That meant engaging only with him, and not stealing glances to check on Itsuki's progress to her or on the status of Crow's duel.

It was over fairly quickly. Her now defeated opponent appraised her with new respect and he said, "Hey, you're not bad." He looked her up and down deliberately and leered. "Yep, not bad at all."

She took a quick, challenging step forward, and he shied backward, bringing his arms up defensively. A whoop of delight from Crow and a growl of dismay from the other kidnapper distracted them both, though. Crow's opponent stepped back and said fiercely, "We're not gonna forget this!"

With that, he turned and ran off, disappearing into more ruins. Crow stepped forward and shouted after him, "Don't forget who you're messin' with!"

Renei's opponent suddenly looked less pleased with the odds and stammered, "H-hey, wait up!" He took off and disappeared, too.

Itsuki ran forward and rammed into Renei's knees, sobbing. Among the sobs, she thought she heard something like "Thank you so much", but it was hard to tell with his face pressed into her legs. She patted his back soothingly and made comforting noises, feeling awkward the entire time.

Finally, he pulled himself together and let go of her, sniffling. Crow asked gently, "Are you okay?"

Itsuki attempted to grin. His voice was shaky as he said manfully, "I'm fine. I knew you two would come and save me, so I… I wasn't scared at all!"

Crow smiled and said, "Good. Let's go home." He looked warily around before ushering Itsuki onto his D-Wheel and mounting it himself. Renei followed suit and they retraced their route back to the highway before taking a roundabout route back to the shack at a less furious pace than before.

By the time they all walked into their shabby little home, Itsuki had recovered from his ordeal and swaggered in to the astonished relief of Annie, who had red eyes from crying. She caromed into him, ensnaring him in a fierce bear hug and saying, "I just knew you guys could do it! Itsuki's back, Itsuki's back!"

In typical little boy fashion, he tried to elude Annie's hugs with a disgusted expression, leading her in a chase around the small shack. Crow and Renei laughed as Itsuki protested the amount of hugging. They finally tumbled outside, and they began a game of tag in earnest.

Crow leaned out of the shack's doorway and called, "Don't go and get yourself caught like that again, all right?"

Itsuki's voice floated back. "No problem! Besides, I know you guys'll come and save me again even if I do!"

Crow sputtered at this blasé confidence in his and Renei's heroic abilities, then waved a hand in dismissal.

"Ahhh, forget it… I'll get Bolger or somebody to lecture you properly later."

Renei snorted and leaned casually up against the bookcase as Crow turned to her. He sat on the bed and looked at her with a frank expression.

"Renei, thanks for the help. We wouldn't have even been able to find those bastards without you."

She shrugged and grinned at him. "What should I have done, let them take Itsuki?"

He chuckled, but turned serious again, looking out the doorway at the kids now playing tag.

"Itsuki talks big, but I know he was scared to death. I was, too, to be honest." He smiled at her, and added softly, "I'm just glad you were around to help."

They were interrupted by Annie poking her head back in and saying, "Oh, yeah, Kiryu came by earlier… I told him you guys were out, so he told me to tell you to come by the hideout when you get back." She gave them each a righteous glare and waved her finger at them. "So for the record, I _did_ give you guys the message if anyone asks!"

With that, she ran back outside and rejoined the throng of children. Crow groaned and flopped backward onto the bed.

"Ugh, doesn't anybody know how to just relax around here…?"

Renei stretched and gestured for him to get up. "I don't think so. If I find someone who can teach us, I'll let you know."

Crow laughed, then sat up with a grunt. "Well, I guess Kiryu's waiting on us. Let's go on over to the hideout."

_**Author's Note**__**: Thanks for reading, everybody! I hope you enjoyed it. As you can see, I managed to draw out the brief kidnapping sequence for a ridiculous length of time. In the next chapter, expect to see how Crow knew where the kidnappers were going, how they were from Team Dirty Works, and what I have dreamed up to be his history with them is.**_

_**If there's anything I can improve upon, please leave a comment!**_


	12. Laying Down the Law: Reprisals and Traps

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

Laying Down the Law: Reprisals and Traps

As Renei and Crow walked to the Enforcer hideout, she asked how Crow had known the way through that crazy maze and how he'd known the name of the duel gang that had kidnapped Itsuki. Crow grimaced.

"This happened before Kiryu recruited you, but the Enforcers had a run-in with Team Dirty Works before. Some of the kids that I looked after at the time went missing. I spent a lot of time on my own investigating until finally, somebody told me about a duel gang that kidnapped street orphans and made them disappear. They snatched 'em up and rode off on their duel runners, and nobody would hear from the kids again. Not many people bothered to look into it, because who cares about some street rat, right?"

Renei nodded somberly. In the B.A.D. Area, people went missing all the time. Because they were the outcasts and scum of society, nobody looked too hard or asked too many questions about such disappearances. If the missing person turned up dead in an alley some time later, Sector Security would show up with a truck and a body bag, take a few snapshots of the scene, and leave without further investigation.

"When I told Kiryu about it, he decided that he couldn't allow something like that to continue, so we started digging. We managed to catch Team Dirty Works right when they went to grab another kid, and chased them on our Duel Runners back to their hideout. After a little Enforcing, we told them that if they didn't quit kidnapping, we'd come back, take their territory, and make them disappear permanently."

Renei asked, "Why didn't you just do that right then? You were already in their territory. You could have busted their Duel Disks and run them out of there."

Crow laughed. "You don't miss a thing, do you? We would have, but we didn't have the duel cuffs with us. I suggested taking them and stomping the things into bits, but Jack started going on about how destroying an opponent's duel disk without also risking our own was not kingly and he wasn't going to join in on it. You know how he does that sometimes. Kiryu agreed and that was the end of it."

Renei nodded with understanding. "Guess they have short memories then. Bet Kiryu's gonna want to bust them next after he hears what happened with Itsuki."

They reached their hideout finally and walked up to the war room, where Kiryu was leaning against the beat-up table and scowling.

"Hey, you're late. Where have you two been?" Kiryu snapped at them with obvious impatience. Renei wondered how long ago Annie had been given the message. Crow was already explaining how Itsuki had been kidnapped by Team Dirty Works and that he and Renei had gone to rescue him. Kiryu's scowl turned to indignation at the news.

"What?! So that's why Annie looked so upset. Is Itsuki alright?!" Kiryu leaped up and clenched his fists, voice filled with outrage.

Crow nodded, and said "Yeah, Renei here saw 'em riding off on their Duel Runners. After that, we chased 'em back to their hideout and got Itsuki back. He's outside playing now."

Kiryu sighed and leaned back against the table. "Well, that's good to hear." He growled, clenching his fist again as he tried to contain his fury. Finally, he burst out, "I can't believe those Team Dirty Works punks! They're not gonna get away with this!"

Crow agreed, face dark at the thought of what could have happened to Itsuki had Renei and he not managed to catch up to the kidnappers. "Yeah, they went too far with this one."

Kiryu let his voice turn casual, though his face still held an expression of anger. "What a coincidence. I was just thinking about who to go up against at our next turf battle... This makes things easy, though." He grinned, though there was no amusement in the expression, then turned and circled an area on the map with his finger. "Dirty Works it is! Let's go crush those guys right now!" He whirled and pointed at Crow and Renei. "Bring your 'A' game for this one! We've gotta make them pay!"

Crow's face lit up and he said, "All right! I'll get ready as quick as possible!" He turned and ran out of the room, leaving Kiryu to glare at Renei and say, "You gotta hurry up and get ready, too! I'll go get Jack and Yusei. We'll be waiting out front." With that, he left the war room as well, though not at the same pace as Crow had a moment before.

Renei lingered for a moment and stared at the map that was mostly black with conquered territory then looked out over the city, which was just as black with dirt and garbage and junk and despair. For the first time, she wondered if Kiryu's goal of uniting Satellite would really fix anything for the island of outcasts. Even if the Enforcers controlled all the turf, would Sector Security stop their brutality and pressing petty criminals into gang labor? Would the residents of Satellite try to clean up their island or stay stuck in their habit of scraping out a meager existence among the rubble of a ruined city? Would orphans be safe from kidnappers like Team Dirty Works?

As she thought more about it, she realized Kiryu had never spoken of any plan of action beyond uniting Satellite. He used to go on and on about making it a better place since they weren't allowed off the island, but he'd never talked about _how_ to make it better. The Enforcers hadn't done much with the territory they'd already taken, and Renei realized that things might not get better even under their control. With such a realization came doubt in her leader, and she began to wonder if Kiryu was even interested in helping anyone but himself.

These thoughts plagued her the whole way to Team Dirty Work's hideout, though she was able to hide her doubt from Crow and Kiryu during the ride there. The ride helped her to put aside her uncertainties and focus on wringing retribution from Itsuki's kidnappers instead. Going into enemy turf with a divided heart and mind would only make her lose, and the Enforcers couldn't afford to give any hints of weakness.

When they arrived on their D-Wheels, there was no sign of any duel gang members. Kiryu dismounted and said loudly, "All right, time for them to get crushed! This is Dirty Work's hideout! There'll be no holding back, clear?"

Crow pumped his fist and responded in a similarly loud voice, "Let's just bust in there and take 'em out!"

Kiryu grinned his feral grin, "Yeah! Even if they hide, drag them out kicking and crush them!" He punched his fist into his palm to make it clear just what he meant by "crush them." In a lower voice, he added "I'll go first. Jack and Yusei should be here soon, so you stay here and fill them in on what's going on."

He ran inside, and Crow huffed impatiently before running inside, saying "I'm goin' with you!"

Renei gave her own sigh of exasperation, but did not follow the two hotheads into the building. Jack and Yusei arrived soon on their own D-Wheels, and as they dismounted, Jack asked where Kalin and Crow had gone. She explained how they'd run in just a moment ago.

Yusei smiled slightly. "They must still be mad about this morning..."

Jack put on an expression of long-suffering patience and said, "I guess we'd better go help them before they hog all the glory for themselves."

Yusei nodded in agreement. "Yeah, those two need to learn how to calm down a bit sometimes. When you get hotheaded like that, it's easy to fall into an enemy's trap like Kalin did last time."

Both Jack and Yusei nodded together as if they were wise old generals. Finally, Jack said "Let's go check things out."

The building was dim inside, but Renei could make out what looked like old arcade games lined up in rows. Light was leaking in from gaps between boards over the windows, and she could chairs scattered around on their sides or tossed in heaps in the aisles. Some of the arcade games were lying on the floor.

Yusei squinted into the dim room and said "I can't see anyone... I've got a feeling there's someone around here, though. They could be hiding."

Jack muttered, "Stay alert. You never know what might happen."

As Jack and Yusei split off to investigate, Renei went over to one of the arcade games and saw it was coated with a thick layer of dust. She walked slowly down the aisle, looking at each one and wondering what games they held. Each had a thick layer of dust and it was obvious that nobody had played these games for quite a while. She made her way to the back of the arcade and found a pair of dingy photo booths. She froze as she saw the dust on the left one was disturbed with smudges. The curtain twitched, and Renei caught a glimpse of somebody inside. She advanced and activated her duel disk before grabbing the curtain and ripping it off to reveal one of the kidnappers from earlier in the morning. The guy yelped in surprise.

"Hey! You're those punks from this morning!" He sprang out, forcing Renei to backpedal. She fell into a defensive stance, duel disk held in between her and her opponent. He grinned at her reaction and said with more confidence than before, "Attacking so soon? You guys are pretty impatient!" He activated his own duel disk and added, "I'll duel ya right now!"

Renei didn't hesitate, but sent the duel cuffs flicking out to attach to his duel disk. He scowled at her, and said "You got guts, I'll give ya that! I'm Kuroe."

Renei drew. "Renei. I don't particularly like people who kidnap little boys. Let's do this."

Five minutes later, Renei was victorious and Kuroe's duel disk was fried. He didn't react with the usual fear and shock most of her opponents did when they realized she'd rendered their duel disks inoperable. Instead, he smirked and said, "We got much more efficient ways of dueling with punks like you than dueling..."

Renei frowned, suspicion rising in her gut and shivers of tension running through her limbs. "What the hell are you talking about?"

Kuroe flashed a grin filled with malice. "I think it's about time somebody fell into our little trap..."

The way he said that made Renei suddenly wonder why she hadn't heard the noise of any other duels so far. Where were her friends? Where was Team Dirty Works, for that matter? She decided that it was time to stop playing nice and get down to serious business. She exploded forward, catching the other duelist off-guard and off-balance. A solid punch in his throat made him reel backward, gagging, allowing Renei to bring her duel cuffs into play. She wrapped a loop of the connecting cable around his neck, pulling it tight. He struggled, but she'd already seized the upper hand in this fight and was not about to give it up. He fell facedown to the ground, face turning purple, and she quickly pinned him in place with her knee on his kidney.

"Alright, buddy, this is how this is going to work. I'm going to let you breath, and you're going to tell me just what you mean by trap."

She gave the connecting cable a little flip, and Kuroe started coughing as he pulled in air. Once she felt he'd had enough, she gave the cable a little tug to remind him who was in charge. "Talk. What trap?"

He squeaked and said hurriedly, "T-the one in the next room! We've got some of the ceiling rigged to collapse! Please, let me go, I don't want to die!"

Renei tugged the cable again, and she held the tension this time, feeling Kuroe's nervous swallow. "Are there other traps besides that one?"

Kuroe was trembling. "Y-yes, but, you got here sooner than we thought you would, so we didn't have time to get anything else into place."

She pressed her knee into his kidney and he gasped in pain. "Why did you kidnap Itsuki? What happens to the kids you guys take?"

Kuroe started crying. "W-we hand them over to another gang. They d-don't fight over turf or anything, th-they just take the kids to the mainland and pay us to get more. I don't know anything more, I swear!"

Renei paused for a long moment, letting Kuroe sweat for a minute longer. Just like Crow, she worked to maintain a certain reputation among the scum of the B.A.D. Area. She wanted this guy to leave with stories of how terrifying she was and how he'd been lucky to get away with his life. The stories would grow, encouraging others to think twice before messing with her. It reduced the amount of fights significantly. Finally, she said, "Who does know more?"

"The boss does! He's in the back!"

She hit him hard on the back of the head with her duel disk, and he fell limply unconscious. After gathering up her duel cuffs and using the ripped photo booth curtain to tie Kuroe's hands behind his back, she made her way cautiously to the back of the arcade, where an arched doorway was framed by giant, dingy bowling pins. One was cracked and lying on the floor, looking sad and broken. She stepped through, looking up at the ceiling for signs of the trap Kuroe had talked about, and saw it off to the left.

Yusei was right underneath it, looking around and completely unaware of the danger he was in. Renei's heart skipped a beat and time seemed to slow as she began to run towards him, feeling as if the air had turned to water around her. A sharp crack resounded through her ears and the ceiling began to fall in.

She slammed into Yusei full force, and they both went sprawling in a tangle of limbs and dust. There was a lot of noise behind them as chunks of concrete hit the ground where Yusei had been just a moment before with deadly crashes. Finally, the downpour of man-made boulders ceased, leaving Renei and Yusei to stare at the jagged pile. Yusei gaped, his normally cool and collected demeanor gone at the near death experience. She extricated her limbs from his and and stood before helping him up. He continued to stare at the trap in shock, probably imagining in great detail what would have happened to his body underneath all the rubble. A trickle of dust and small pieces of debris fell from the hole in the ceiling, rapping out a brief, staccato noise upon the remains.

"Renei... If it wasn't for you, I'd be..." Yusei spoke slowly, as if stringing words together into sentences was one of the more challenging things he'd had to do today. He held out his hand and Renei reached out hers in confusion. Yusei gripped her forearm like he did with Jack sometimes after they'd dueled together, and she returned the gesture, realizing that her place in Yusei's mind had gone from just being a teammate and friend to someone he could trust his life to. They shared a bond now that was difficult to describe, but both felt as if it was more valuable and precious than anything else life had to offer at that moment.

"Thank you."

Yusei looked at her with serious blue eyes, his face intent and focused on only her. She only squeezed his forearm reassuringly in response.

"I got your back, Yusei. We better find the others, though. The gang member who I beat up earlier told me there were lots of traps to deal with intruders. Team Dirty Works doesn't like to play fair, it seems."

* * *

><p><em><strong><span>Author's Note<span>: This chapter was getting stupidly long, so I broke it up into two parts. Like I said earlier, there is no OCxAnyone in this story, so don't misconstrue Yusei's and Renei's little moment.**_

_**I'd love to hear some feedback about this story so far. I guess I'll give you a prompt, to get you started. What do you absolutely detest about this story so far? Leave a review and let me know! I think it's important to know what readers are thinking. This story is for entertainment, and I want to know how to entertain y'all better!**_


	13. Victory but Defeat

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

**Laying Down the Law: Victory but Defeat**

The moment was over as Renei relayed her news about Team Dirty Work's method of dealing with intruders, and Yusei's eyes slid to inspect the ceiling and area around them warily as his cloak of calm descended again. She did the same, not willing to trust Kuroe's word about the traps.

"What? There are a lot of traps set in the area, huh? I guess they were expecting us. You're right, we should let the others know."

He glanced around one more time before adding, "I'll go tell them. You stay here and keep an eye out for the enemy!" With that, he ran back into the arcade room.

As soon as Yusei was gone, Renei heard footsteps approaching. She turned in their direction to see a guy with a yellow mohawk pacing towards her, looking smug. He was huge with muscles and looked as if he could wrestle a bull and win. Renei tensed up, ready to spring into an attack at the slightest provocation.

The stranger looked around and said, "Hey, I think I heard somebody set off one of our traps just now." He stepped closer to inspect the pile of concrete, then seemed to notice Renei for the first time. Stepping backward in shock, he said "Huh?! You're still alive! How the hell did you escape?!"

Renei smiled thinly. "A little bird told me it was there, you douchebag."

The guy shrugged and rubbed the back of his head. "It took us forever to set it up, man!" He sighed and said, "Oh well. Guess I'll have to finish you off with a duel!"

He activated his duel disk, and Renei responded in kind before snaking out her duel cuffs and attaching them to both duel disks. The stranger lifted up his duel disk to inspect the end of the duel cuffs attached to his disk, seemingly intrigued by this development rather than concerned. He shrugged again and said, "The name's Kameno. Lemme warn you now, we didn't set up those traps 'cause we stink at dueling or anything like that."

Renei just nodded. "Yeah, sure, if you say so. Let's duel already."

They drew and began their duel. Kameno's deck was structured around maintaining a solid defense rather than attacking, which played right into Renei's strategies. Her deck didn't rely on attacking with monsters, but instead on bleeding away the opponent's Life Points with effects. The duel was soon over and Kameno's duel disk was smoking with overloaded electronics. Kameno frowned at his ruined disk and humphed irritably. "I can't believe my plan failed..." He took a step toward her, sudddenly all menace. "Get out of here!"

Renei knew very well she wouldn't be able to take on Kameno like she had Kuroe. Kameno was huge, for one. There was no way she could match his strength. She took a step backwards, foot crunching on bits of concrete from the failed trap. An idea sparked in her mind, and she took another step, this time to the side. She glanced to the side and spotted a fist-sized chunk of concrete that would serve her purposes well. Quickly, she bent and snatched it up, then whipped it at Kameno's head without warning. It struck him squarely between the eyes and he went down in a surprised heap.

Renei had no way of knowing how long the giant would stay down, so she beat a hasty retreat back to the arcade room. As soon as she stepped through, a nasally voice cut through the dimness.

"Hey! You're in the Enforcers, ain't ya?"

Renei squinted and saw a thin figure with a blueish mohawk standing in the middle of the arcade. The nasally voice continued to speak, and she struggled to keep from laughing at how ridiculous it sounded.

"I heard all about what you did to some of my crew! Don't think you can just bust into somebody's hideout like that and get away with it!"

Lights from a duel disk flared into existence, and the thin speaker added shrilly, "Bring it on!"

Renei didn't hesitate for a moment. She sent the end of her duel cuff flying to attach to the duel disk and began the duel. The stranger shrieked in surprise, and yelped, "You're gonna regret ever comin' to this part of town!"

After foiling a kidnapping attempt, having one of her best friends nearly killed by a ceiling, dueling two guys and then knocking them senseless, fear and anger was starting to get to Renei. She snapped, "Fuck you, you little piece of garbage-sucking shit! I'm going to make you beg for mercy, you cocksucker, and then you're going to tell me everything you know about that gang you sick fucks supply with little boys!"

He babbled incoherently for a few seconds at her outburst, then managed to squeak out, "M-match duel!"

Renei swore, but it was too late. The duel disks had recognized the command. Now her duel cuffs wouldn't fry either duel disk until somebody won the Match Duel. It was a delaying tactic, meant to stall her until her opponent's back-up arrived. Then it wouldn't matter if she won or not, not if she was being beaten to a pulp by thugs. She could only try to win quickly and hope that the rest of the Enforcers had managed to avoid the traps and keep the other gang members from rushing to this guy's aid. She took a deep breath, struggling to keep her emotions under control. It was time to concentrate on the duel, and there was no room for error here.

The first duel passed in a flash, with Renei seizing control of the duel and relentlessly pounding away at her opponent. Once Blue-Mohawk-Dude's Life Points fell to zero, their duel disks chirped to let the duelists know they could exchange cards with their side decks. Renei hadn't brought one, and waited impatiently for her opponent to finish with his. The next duel saw her luck take a turn for the abysmal, and she struggled to pull out a win from behind. She came obscenely close to losing, and it was only because her opponent didn't seem to have the sense gods gave to rocks that she was able to emerge victorious.

The duel cuffs delivered their electronics-destroying jolt, making her opponent leap back with a barely suppressed scream. When he realized his duel disk was junked, he slumped in defeat. His voice quivered as he said, "And I worked so hard on my team..."

Renei moved towards him, fists clenching. "Tell me about that gang!"

Quick as a shot, her opponent leapt up and fled. A moment later, she heard a D-Wheel's engine roar to life and rubber squealing against pavement. She growled in frustration and was about to go chase the little fucker down when Yusei emerged from the gloom, looking impressed.

"So you defeated their leader, huh?" He glanced around, presumably looking for more opponents. "Looks like we've taken this area, too, then."

Renei spun on him. "Where are the others? Is everyone okay?" She didn't try to hide the anxiety in her voice like she would have normally. She wanted to get out and leave this shithole far behind.

Yusei looked at her steadily and put his hands on her shoulders. "Don't worry, the others are fine." He grinned and added, "Kiryu and Crow actually handled the traps really well."

Renei felt a flood of relief wash over her. Yusei's calm demeanor helped her to regain control of herself and she inhaled deeply before straightening up and nodding. "Good. These rat bastards make me sick, and I'd hate it if one of them got any of the Enforcers."

Yusei squeezed her shoulder, seeming to understand what she left unsaid. Before she could turn away to go find the others, he said, "I owe my life to you."

Renei looked back at him, and saw the depth of his gratitude in those intense blue eyes. She took his hand and grasped it like they had before, gripping his forearm. He returned the grip and said, "Thank you."

She smiled, and said, "It's what friends do for each other, right?"

He grinned back. "Well, I know we're friends, but I still just wanted to say thanks."

She released her grip and flipped her hair playfully, feeling better now that a fellow Enforcer was nearby. "I'll just add that to all the other things you owe me for. You better be careful. You don't know what I'll have you do next to pay me back."

He laughed. "Yeah, that's for sure." He looked away, and added "We all really do have some great friends." Yusei looked back to her and said, "We should meet up with everybody and get back to the hideout." Renei nodded her agreement.

* * *

><p>The sun was creating a spectacular sunset as the Enforcers gathered in their war room. Kiryu filled in the conquered territory on the map with the usual flourish. When he was done, he leaned on the table and grinned around at everyone.<p>

"All right! Another day, another victory!"

Before the Enforcers could celebrate this announcement, Kiryu slammed his fist down on the map. Everyone started at this abrupt violence as their leader glared fiercely.

"It's too soon to get complacent just yet. We've still got one more area to conquer!" He jabbed his finger to the lone open space on the map.

Silence descended and Renei remembered her doubts about Kiryu's leadership from earlier today. Had the others felt similar doubts?

Crow stood and tried to lighten the suddenly dark mood, saying brightly, "We're almost there, though!"

Jack nodded, but said diffidently, "It was a long battle... Do you really think we can conquer all of Satellite?"

Crow waved his hand as if to wave away Jack's statement, a confident expression on his face. "Heh, are you kiddin'? We've got it sewn up!"

Kiryu's lips formed a smile, but it didn't reach his eyes like usual. "Of course. But be sure you all tweak your decks to perfection just to be sure. We wouldn't want to have come all this way just to lose here at the very end."

He straightened up and stretched, then said more cheerfully "All right, that's all for today. I'll let you know whenever we decide the day of the battle."

* * *

><p>Renei and Crow walked back to the shack in silence. By the time they reached it, it was completely dark.<p>

"I'm gonna go check on the kids, Renei." Crow seemed subdued and distracted. Renei nodded and flopped onto the little mattress, thinking about what had happened today. She hadn't managed to learn any more about what happened to the other kids who'd gone missing. When she'd confronted Kiryu about it, demanding that the Enforcers do something about the kidnappings, he'd gotten angry.

"_What do you want me to do, Renei? You want me to go out and beat that other gang? If they don't duel, what use will that be? No, we have to focus on winning all the territory first. We have to conquer Satellite, that's our goal! Nothing else matters!"_

She made a fist and covered her eyes with her forearm, frustrated beyond words. In that moment, the leader she'd decided to follow had been absent, replaced by a young man who wanted to lash out at the world for all the wrongs that had been done to him without care for who it hurt. Had Kiryu been that kind of person all along? Had she just been blinded by his charisma and confidence?

Did she want to follow Kiryu anymore?

Crow came back in just then and went to go sit in the busted-up computer chair. It creaked in protest, but stood up to the strain of a person. Crow liked to joke that one day, the chair would take revenge for all the people who'd ever sat upon it by falling apart just when he got comfortable in it.

"Renei."

"Yeah, Crow?"

"What are we gonna do after we beat that last territory?"

Renei paused for a long while. Finally, she sighed and said, "I don't know. I'm not the leader."

Silence reigned for a while after that as both Enforcers became lost in thought. When Crow spoke again, his voice was quiet.

"I don't think Kiryu knows either."

Renei sat up to look at Crow and asked, "What will you do if he doesn't? Have a plan, I mean."

Crow leaned back in the chair to look up at the ceiling and shrugged. "You?"

She brought her knees up to her chin and hugged them. "I don't know. He hasn't been... himself lately, you know?"

Crow nodded, not looking away from the ceiling.

The conversation was getting depressing, so Renei laid down on the bed and curled up. She couldn't fall asleep for a long time, so she heard Crow get up and leave the shack to find his own bed for the night. They were both stuck in a horrible place, and she thought Crow knew that taking control of Satellite wouldn't solve any of their problems now. They were still trapped in among the garbage and the ruins, and not even Kiryu's promises of a better future would change that.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: Now I'm depressed. Goodness me, it's a good thing I'm following a predetermined storyline instead of having to make this up off the top of my head. I wouldn't know how to recover that otherwise.**_

_**I wonder how everybody handles cleanliness in Satellite. Do they have utilities and such? **_

**…**

_**On second thought, maybe I shouldn't wonder too much about that. It would probably make people uncomfortable to imagine the heroes of this story having horrible BO and stuff like that.**_

_**As always, feedback is most appreciated! If you have suggestions for improvement or just feel like booing me back to the hole from whence I came, leave a review and let me know!**_


	14. Dueling in Contrasts

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

**Dueling in Contrasts**

Renei woke up from dreams filled with Duel monsters insisting on dueling her, to find Crow sitting on the floor with his cards spread out around him and muttering to himself. She did her usual morning routine of hair brushing and selecting a duel disk, then left him to his deck-building with a wave. The kids swarmed her when she came out of the shack, but she fended them off, saying she had something important to do and didn't have time for duels right then. She'd decided that it was time to have a talk with Kiryu about the future of the Enforcers.

Surprisingly, it didn't take long to find him. On the way to the Enforcer's hideout, she spotted him walking along in a manner that could only be described as dejected. She called out to him, and he looked up and walked over to her.

"Hey, Renei. You beat that leader last time, didn't you?"

Renei was thrown off by this statement. She'd been planning to suggest going back to the hideout, then confronting Kiryu about his plans for the improvement of Satellite. She hadn't been expecting him to launch into a conversation of his own. Unsure of how to proceed, she nodded.

Kiryu's face clouded and his voice grew angry. "I was gonna handle it, but it looks like you went and stole my thunder." With that, he pointed at her and said, "All right, Renei. You and me duel right now."

Renei started to shake her head, but Kiryu interrupted in a low tone, "I won't take no for an answer."

Sighing, she activated her duel disk. Maybe once she finished the duel with Kiryu, he would let her get a word in edgewise. He activated his own duel disk and said, "I'm not gonna let you hog all the glory!"

Renei had not yet switched her deck back from her gang-busting burn one to one of her other decks, so the duel went in her favor. Kiryu grew more agitated as his Life Points drained away, and she could see him getting frustrated at not being able to get an attack in. He swore and raged like usual, but instead of brushing it off as harmless temper as she had in the past, Renei viewed Kiryu's temper with trepidation this time. When his Life Points hit zero, he turned and kicked a stack of rotten wooden pallets viciously.

Renei asked cautiously, "Kiryu? Are you going to be okay?"

He straightened and took a deep breath, visibly trying to rein in his anger. When he turned to her, there was a strained smile on his face.

"I always knew you were pretty good."

Renei nodded warily, not seeing what he was getting at. "Of course I am. It's why you keep me around."

He nodded, then turned away, saying, "Yep. Anyway, I'm going to check out the remaining turf." He walked away quickly, and was gone before Renei had a chance to call him back. She stood there for a minute, thinking how weird that encounter had been. She considered going after Kiryu and forcing him to talk to her, but after thinking about his reaction to losing the duel, Renei decided it might be better to leave him alone and let him cool off. Maybe that conversation she wanted to have would be better off with all the Enforcers present anyway. Four cool heads against Kiryu's hot-blooded temper might get through to him where only one would not.

Not knowing what else to do, she returned to the shack. Maybe Crow would have some ideas on what to do about Kiryu. As she walked in, Crow was putting his deck into his duel disk, looking satisfied. He looked up to see her and said, "Hey, nice timing! I just finished tweaking my deck." He waved his duel disk around as if to show her his work and added, "Let's duel so I can try it out!"

Renei felt some of her apprehension from her encounter with Kiryu drain away in the face of Crow's good-natured cheerfulness. She smiled and said, "Let me switch out my deck first."

It only took a moment to pull down the book-boxes she wanted from the bookshelf and swap out her deck. As soon as Crow saw she was ready, he said, "All right, let's duel!"

Soon, the room was filled with holographic feathered men, the explosions of magical effects, and the laughter of Renei and Crow. Through one lucky twist after another, she managed to keep Crow's field cleared and soon eradicated his Life Points. Rather than venting any anger at being defeated, Crow took the opportunity to dramatically collapse in mock death, tongue sticking out comically. Renei laughed and attempted to help him up, but he said out of the corner of his mouth, "No, you took away all my Life Points. I'm dead now. You should bury me here."

Undaunted, Renei seized his arm and lifted it up, then mercilessly began tickling him. He jerked up, and their foreheads cracked together, causing both to fall back with groans of pain.

"That's what I get, I suppose." Renei rubbed her forehead ruefully.

Crow sat up and grinned. "Yeah, sorry. Didn't mean to do that." He pulled out his deck and studied it, mumbling something about tweaking it further.

Somebody stepped into the shack and Renei turned to see Kiryu with a frown on his face. The frown was replaced with a grin as he saw her and Crow.

"Oh, you're both here. Good. I have an announcement."

Renei and Crow looked at eachother, then up at Kiryu expectantly. He spread his arms wide and said, "The final turf battle is tomorrow!"

Crow jumped up and pumped his fist. "Yeah, I can't wait for it!" Renei kept her spot on the floor and waited for more details.

Kiryu kept going. "We're up against Team Non-Securities. I hear they've got a lot of members."

Renei nodded acknowledgement as Crow said, "A big team, eh? I guess I better work on my deck more and get it just right for tomorrow." Kiryu winked at Crow and said, "That's right. No matter who we're up against, you always gotta prepare for the worst."

This earned an eye roll from Crow, and he said, "Don't worry. I'll build an invincible deck by tomorrow."

Kiryu ignored the sarcasm and turned to leave, saying, "I'll make sure Yusei and Jack are both filled in on what's going on, too." He paused and look back over his shoulder into Renei's eyes with a hard stare. "Renei, make sure you're all good to go for tomorrow, too."

She stiffened and nodded, and Kiryu left with a wave. Crow looked at where their leader had been, then at Renei with a curious glance. She pretended not to notice and stood up to stretch.

"You heard the man, Crow. We've got a tough fight tomorrow."

He nodded and began to fiddle with his deck. "I guess I better go ahead and start gettin' ready then."

Just then, Itsuki and Annie both ran in. Itsuki flung himself at Renei and latched onto her arm. "Renei! Come on, let's duel!"

Annie crossed her arms and pouted. "Hey! I wanna duel Renei, too!" Itsuki stuck his tongue out and said, "I called it first!"

"No way! I wanna go first!"

The situation quickly devolved into a shouting match between the two children, and Crow finally ended it by grabbing Itsuki and clapping a hand over the little boy's mouth.

"Come on, no fighting! Besides, Renei is busy getting ready for tomorrow."

Itsuki wiggled his way free from Crow's grip and said in a wheedling tone, "Yeah, but she promised!" Not to be outdone, Annie added quickly, "She promised me, too!"

Renei raised her eyebrows at this declaration. She didn't remember any such promises. Itsuki glared at Annie and said, "Did not!"

"Did too!"

"Did not!"

"Did too!"

Crow groaned and put his hand over Itsuki's mouth again before looking at Renei. "Did you really promise to duel these two?"

Renei shook her head. "Nope. I haven't had time to."

Crow nodded. "Yeah, I didn't think so..." He gave a long-suffering sigh and muttered "Kids..." like it was a curse before saying, "Look, I'll duel you two instead. How 'bout that?" He released Itsuki to better hear the boy's response.

Itsuki and Annie both looked at eachother, then said simultaneously, "No way! We don't wanna duel you, Crow! That's never any fun!"

He threw his hands up in disgust. "Oh, _now_ you two finally agree on something!" He grumbled for a bit, then said, "Fine then. How 'bout this? You two team up together. Then Renei and I will duel you two in a tag duel. _Now_ are you happy?"

The two children considered his offer as Crow looked at Renei apologetically. "Hey, sorry. Hopefully it'll only take a minute. They'll never shut up if we don't..."

Finally, Itsuki looked at Annie and said, "Fine..." Annie nodded, her face dubious as she added, "It's better than dueling Crow by himself... I guess."

Crow sat down in the rickety chair, a wounded expression on his face. "You guys need to learn some respect! Who's raising you kids anyway?!"

Itsuki and Annie imitated his attitude and chorused, "You are, Crow..."

He laughed and said, "Oh yeah... Well, anyway... You all know the rules for tag duels, don't ya?"

Itsuki and Annie exchanged glances, then said cheerfully, "Nope!"

Renei snorted with laughter as Crow looked up at the ceiling and said, "Yeah, I didn't think so..." She put on a straight face as he looked at her sideways irritably, and said "What, you wanna hear the rules, too?"

She held her hands up. "Oh, no, I'm good. You just keep doing your thing."

Crow said sarcastically, "Yeah, wouldn't wanna bore ya or anything. Hold on a sec while I explain them to the kiddies."

Renei ended up hearing the rules anyway, as Crow patiently outlined them to the children. They listened attentively, and didn't interrupt with stupid questions. Finally, they said they got it and were ready to duel. As expected, they were unused to working together as a team and each frequently got in the way of the other's strategies. Renei and Crow had a little more practice in Tag Dueling, and were pretty familiar with the other's strategies, so it didn't take them long to win.

Crow grinned and said, "All right! We make a great team!" Renei rolled her eyes in an of-course-we-do gesture as he turned to the kids, who were about to break out into another argument about who was responsible for losing.

"Are you satisfied now? Look, we've gotta get ready for tomorrow, so you two go play outside."

Itsuki immediately dropped the imminent fight in favor of the statement's implications. "You guys have another turf battle tomorrow?"

Crow flexed one arm importantly, and said, "Yep. If we win tomorrow, we'll have conquered all of Satellite!"

Itsuki was suitably impressed. "Wow, cool!" Crow gave a cocky half grin, obviously ready to bask in more hero worship, but Itsuki's next words were "Good luck, Renei!" Crow deflated and glared at the little boy, and Renei had to cover her mouth with one hand to keep from breaking out into a fit of laughter. Annie seemed to feel sorry for Crow, and added, "Good luck to you too, Crow!" Then she grabbed Itsuki's arm and nearly dragged the boy back outside.

Crow sighed as they left and said, "Those two are a handful..."

Renei nodded in agreement, and grinned widely at him. He pointedly ignored her amusement at his expense and asked, "You're gonna start getting ready for tomorrow, too, right?"

She responded sarcastically, "No, Crow, I have to start packing tonight so I can move into a penthouse on the mainland tomorrow. I'm far too busy and important to worry about things like preparing for a turf battle."

He didn't take offense at her tone, instead grinning and saying, "You should try dueling a lot of different people. Who knows, it might make that big, important ego of yours shrink a couple sizes."

"Oh, go stick your head in a trashcan." Her tone was fond instead of rancorous.

They spent the rest of the night together while Crow worked on his deck, discussing strategies and bouncing ideas off one another. Finally, Renei started yawning uncontrollably, and Crow glanced over at her.

"Ready for bed?"

She nodded, and he stood up, patting his cards into an orderly stack before carefully placing it in its holster. "I'm pumped, so I can't sleep yet. I'm gonna go out and check on the kids."

She nodded and yawned again as he headed for the door. Before he left, he paused and said, "Let's do our best tomorrow, okay?"

"Alright, Crow. Good night."

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: I forgot about setting up the fact that the main character can, for some reason, access the Spirit World. Hence, a mention of dreams that is referring to the World Championship section of the game where you can duel the Duel monsters.**_

_**You know you can use the review thing to ask questions, right? Like if there's something you're confused about?**_


	15. Laying Down the Law: Imagined Reality

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

**Laying Down the Law: Imagined Reality**

Renei's dreams were more vivid than usual. They featured Duel Monsters again, but instead of demanding to duel her, they invited her to live with them. A small part of her mind marveled at how detailed the dream was and what a vivid imagination she had when asleep as she ate with cheerful little Fairies and went to school with Warriors in training. She even made friends with a little Red Eyes Baby Dragon. It was as if all her unnamed wishes for a normal life got combined with her love for dueling and expressed itself in one big, fantastic dream that seemed as if it would never end.

All dreams must end, though.

Renei's ended with Crow shaking her awake, saying worriedly, "It's time for our last turf battle. The others are probably already waiting on us. Let's go!"

She greeted this rude awakening with an attempt to punch him in the nose, but he avoided her weak blow easily and thrust her brush into her hand.

"Hurry up! We're late! God, you slept like a rock."

She dragged the brush ruthlessly through her tangled hair, royally irritated. The dream had been so wonderful, and it was a letdown to come back to this hellhole. If she could have, she would have lain in bed awake just thinking about the dream, slowly coming back to grips with her reality. Crow did not put up with her usual morning slowness, though, and herded her out the door and onto his Blackbird with unsympathetic briskness. It was obvious that he wasn't going to allow her to drive herself while still foggy with sleep.

As they sped towards the last bit of unconquered territory, the wind helped wake Renei up a bit more. They hid the Blackbird among the rubble a little ways off from the last gang's headquarters, and arrived at the gate of the abandoned building just as Kiryu, Yusei, and Jack walked up.

Kiryu approached the gate and gripped it hard, grinning ferally at the courtyard filled with large rusty containers just beyond. "Okay, this is it!" He heaved the gate open, and it slid backward easily despite looking so rusted. Clearly, it was kept well-maintained. Kiryu's grin grew wider and he said, "I'm gonna enjoy this!"

He spun around and glared at the rest of the Enforcers. "You're all ready, right? I'm not known for my patience!"

Crow was practically dancing with impatience, and snapped, "I'm not askin' you to wait! I'm itching to get moving right now!"

Yusei nodded and added, "This may be the last turf battle, but it's no place for a letup."

Jack stepped forward and said grandly, "Whoever's out there waiting for us, let's meet them head-on!"

When Kiryu looked at Renei, she just jerked her head towards the open gate. Kiryu pointed and shouted, "Enforcers, let's go!" He ran in and soon was out of sight among the piles of carefully stacked crates. Crow clenched his fists and said, "All right!" following soon after. Renei, Yusei and Jack followed at a more sedate pace.

It wasn't long before Yusei had split off to investigate elsewhere. Jack and Renei stayed together for a little while, but he finally looked significantly to his right and gestured for her to go her own way. She looked at him oddly, but spotted a flash of movement to his left. Understanding dawned, and she moved away to the right, pretending that something had caught her attention.

As soon as she lost sight of Jack, she counted to three, then retraced her steps. She saw Jack had been backed up against the building's wall by four other guys. They had vests similar to the Enforcers, but wore helmets and goggles. One spoke, voice mocking.

"Heh, just as you'd expect. It's four against one, and she's absolutely helpless."

Jack looked stunned for a moment, then outraged, turning paler than he already was naturally. Renei also bristled at the comment, then began slowly uncoiling her duel cuffs while advancing. As she did, another one laughed and said, "If we continue thrashing them one by one, this'll be a cakewalk!"

Once she was right behind them, she activated her duel disk. The tell-tale chirp made the group spin around and Jack called her name in warning. The guy that had spoken first sneered at her and said, "One of your friends wants to join, eh? If that's how it's gotta be, two of us can handle each of you!"

Jack was still pale with outrage over being called a girl and snapped, "I _was_ going to take on each and every one of them myself, but sure. You deal with those two." With that, he spun and launched himself at the two guys farthest from her, scattering them like a bull among pigeons. The two that had advanced on Renei looked startled for a moment as they watched, and one made a move as if to help his friends, but Renei sent her duel cuffs flying to attach to his duel disk and yanked on it to bring his attention back to her. He scowled at her and activated his disk, saying, "Whether it's one or two of you we have to beat, it won't change a thing!"

She snorted at this declaration, and said, "Nope, it sure won't." With a deft flick, she got a loop of duel cuff around the other challenger's duel disk and attached the loose end to her own duel disk. The surge of electricity would fry whatever duel disk was trapped in the coils of the cuffs as well as the loser's duel disk. With that, she forced a two-on-one duel, making the opponent wrapped in the coils of the duel cuffs blanch a bit.

"You mean, you're not even the littlest bit scared?"

Renei glared at him and shook her head, doing her best to emanate pure alpha badass. He stepped backward and said, "You really are cocky!" His face showed how scared he was. He was probably wondering just how tough she was if facing two guys at once didn't make her flinch one bit.

The duel went by quickly, and Renei saw why the four guys had ganged up on Jack. They probably had a strategy that depended on all four decks being used in the same duel. She shook her head internally at their stupidity. It generally took longer to set up strategies when there was more than one person on one side of the duel. The more there were, the more opportunities there were for the duel to go wrong. They were cowards who needed to be reassured of their strength by being on the side with the greatest numbers. She didn't feel any pity when she won and both her opponents' duel disks were fried. Jerks like these who ganged up on one person didn't deserve any mercy.

"The two of us together lost...? I... I can't believe this!" One of her opponents backed away, looking a bit scared. The other turned to see how their friends were doing and gaped in astonishment to see that they had vanished. His voice was more shrill than before as they said, "Huh?! Those two lost, too?! Where'd they go?!" The opponent who'd backed away laughed nervously, and said, "Oh, I forgot...! I got an errand to run!" The other one added "O-oh yeah! Phew, my stomach sure is growling! Guess I better go get some chow...! Yeah...!"

With that, they ran past her out the gate. Renei raised one eyebrow, a little surprised that they had been so easily intimidated. It made her wonder about how this duel gang was run to inspire such non-loyalty.

Jack approached her, looking smug, and said, "Well, looks like we're both alright."

Renei nodded, glancing around for more opponents. "I guess now we know why they're such a big gang. They depend on large numbers to overwhelm an opponent."

Jack sniffed disdainfully. "Doesn't matter how many of those losers come at me at a time, they're no match. It's probably faster to fight them all at once anyway. They don't seem to that strong."

She grinned. "I hear you on that one. Try not to hoard them all to yourself, Your Majesty. Some of us peasants want to have fun, too."

He grinned sardonically at her and waved his hand regally. "Very well, subject. Crush them."

She left him to sweep the rest of the cluttered courtyard for any other lurking gang members and made her way up a wide set of stairs up to the next level that wrapped around the edge of the building. She went to the edge to look out over the courtyard and was a little creeped out by how deserted the place looked, even with all the junk piled haphazardly everywhere. Wasn't Team Non-Securities supposed to be a huge duel gang? Were they all gathering to ambush each Enforcer one by one? What if she was the last Enforcer left? What if her friends had been defeated and chased off?

Renei gripped the railing and looked frantically for Jack among the maze of junk in the courtyard below. She was relieved to see his blond head amid the crate stacks as he searched for more opponents and leaned on the railing with a sigh. It shifted alarmingly under her weight and the shrieking sound of metal against metal made her leap back, heart pounding wildly.

_Oh, god, that's the last thing we need. Falling because we trusted a goddamn rail to do its job of keeping people from falling off the edge of stuff._

She moved closer to the wall, suddenly wary of the entire floor and wanting very much to be down on solid ground again. Trying to walk as lightly as possible, she kept exploring until she found a rusty metal warehouse door. She knelt and probed the bottom of it, then attempted to lift it. It was a surprise when the door moved upward easily against her effort, and Renei realized that this door was well-maintained just like the gate from before. She tossed it upwards and it retracted into its roll with a clatter, revealing a big room full of crates and a duel in progress among them. Renei made her way slowly around the crates until she found Crow and one of the other duel gang's members. Crow had the other guy cornered and appeared to have the upper hand.

He noticed her and grinned cockily. "Renei! It's just a matter of time before I take this guy out!" Jerking a thumb towards the other side of the room, he added, "You should just keep going." Then he turned his attention back to the duel, still grinning.

Renei moved on, eyes darting to each shadow in the room, trying to be ready for any ambush. She found some stairs and discovered they provided access to the catwalks overhead. The metal walkways flexed noticeably as she walked, and some of the narrower sections swayed disconcertingly. Again, she attempted to walk as lightly as possible as she made her way forward.

When she neared the opposite wall, a guy poked his head out from the stairwell and spotted her. He ran out to block her path, seemingly heedless of how he made the catwalks bounce, saying, "Oh, I finally found you!" Then he looked back over his shoulder and called, "Hey! Here! Over here!"

Another guy came out and joined him, and they both stood at the end of a narrow walkway, blocking her way. The second guy looked at the first, received a nod, and spoke.

"So we've finally found you! We two are prepared to display to you our true might!"

These words were delivered in a strong, ringing voice, and was accompanied with dramatic gestures. It reminded Renei of when Jack decided to be all kingly and shit.

The first guy was equally dramatic as he said, "Yes, that's so. And don't say we are acting cowardly. This is all part of a brilliant strategy."

The second guy nodded and held out a hand to her, looking sympathetic. "Yeah, you _are_ out of luck, and you had better just agree to our terms and surrender."

Renei had tensed up again when they'd first approached, but relaxed a little. She didn't get the same tingling of fear that she got when facing people who were intent on hurting her. These guys were actually behaving rather reasonably. Instead of going on the attack, she asked, "What are the terms?"

"Get the rest of your team and leave our hideout. We don't have to be enemies, and as long as you leave us alone, we'll leave you alone."

She considered this, but rather than agreeing or disagreeing, she asked another question. "What are your names?"

The first guy jammed a thumb against his chest and said, "I'm Torino, and he's my partner, Mitchie." He gestured to the second guy, who gave a little wave. "We're part of Team Non-Securities!"

"Renei. You guys don't seem like you're too bad. Why'd you join a duel gang in the first place? And why Team Non-Securities specifically?"

Mitchie looked at her and asked, "Do you know what Team Non-Securities does?" When she shrugged, he said, "We patrol the area and keep people from doing bad stuff. You know, breaking up fights, stopping robberies, that kind of thing. The job that Securities is supposed to do, but doesn't."

Renei blinked in surprise. If these guys were actual vigilantes for justice, it made sense why they relied on numbers to overwhelm the opponent. Such tactics would come in handy against troublemakers. She frowned then, remembering the lack of people as she made her way through the enormous hideout. There was plenty of space for more gang members. After a moment's thought, she asked, "Where's the rest of your gang, then? We haven't seen very many here. Are they all out on patrol?"

Both guys looked at each other, pained looks on their faces. Finally, Torino said, "A lot of them left, actually."

Mitchie nodded. "They didn't like our new boss. He's… Well… He's different, that's all."

"Yeah…" Torino sighed, then added, "We would have left, too, but we didn't want to abandon our friends. When he gets mad, the boss looks for somebody to take it out on."

Renei respected that and felt bad for what she would have to do. Reluctantly, she took her duel cuffs out and attached one end to her duel disk. The two guys watched her, tension seeping into their expressions.

"Sorry, guys. You two seem pretty nice, but I can't surrender. The Enforcers are going to unite Satellite, and as long as you guys are in front of me, I have to keep fighting." She thought for a moment, then added, "You could surrender to me, though."

They looked at her sadly, then shook their heads. Torino said, "We can't surrender. The boss would probably toss us off the roof." Mitchie gestured at the duel cuff and asked, "Are you gonna use that on our disks? We've heard rumors about how you guys use those things to screw them up."

She looked at them seriously. "Depends. If I duel you both and win, will you walk out of here and let us finish what we came here to do? Because I'd rather not have to use these if I could. Like I said, you guys seem nice."

They shared a look, then nodded at each other. Mitchie said, "We won't surrender. But if you win against the both of us, then we'll leave you and the rest of your gang alone. You don't need to use those against us. We swear as members of Team Non-Securities."

She studied them for a long moment before detaching her duel cuffs and putting them away. The duel began as they activated their disks.

Torino and Mitchie worked together well, having obviously designed their decks to support each other. Rather than ruining each other's strategies, they set each other up for good combos. Renei was impressed, especially by the way they seemed to know what the other was thinking. They anticipated the other's moves, and demonstrated the abilities that members of Team Non-Securities had so far lacked. She found herself enjoying the challenge that these two presented her with as the duel progressed, something that usually only happened when she was dueling Yusei or another of the Enforcers.

It was a near thing, but in the end, she won. Torino groaned, and said, "No! But our strategy was perfect!" He and Mitchie conferred in agitated whispers for a second as Renei began to wonder if she should have used her duel cuffs after all. Finally, they stepped apart, nodding as if they'd reached some sort of agreement. Renei tensed, ready to make a break for it, when suddenly, Mitchie said loudly, "This is your doing! You kept getting in my way!" He said it as if reciting lines from a script in a rather forced manner.

Torino responded in kind. "_You're_ the one who kept getting in _my_ way!"

Renei's face scrunched up in confusion. Why were these guys who were obviously so close pretending to get upset at each other? She glanced backwards, checking for her escape route back down the stairs and saw another Non-Securities member watching them, looking scared.

Mitchie said, "Well, had you not been so weak, we wouldn't have had so much trouble!"

Renei got it then. The act was for the benefit of the person watching, though what Mitchie and Torino hoped to accomplish with it escaped her. Torino was warming to his part and said hotly, "I don't believe you! If that is how you really feel, then try me!" He took a challenging step forward, and Mitchie stepped up to mirror him, saying "That's just what I've been waiting for!"

They glared at each other for a moment, then finally, Torino sniffed disdainfully and looked at Renei.

"Watch it, you!"

She sidestepped out of their way, and they ran past her down the stairs. When they reached the person on the stairs, they grabbed the person's arms and began pulling him away hurriedly.

Renei watched them go with an amused expression. It was refreshing to meet a rival gang member who wasn't actually a bad guy. That thought made her stop for a moment and wonder how many other people she'd beaten were like these guys. How many people had she fought that would have been nice had they not been on opposing sides? She had felt fear almost every time she'd faced another gang member, though often that fear had been submerged under other emotions. Had they felt the same fear when facing her?

It was a disturbing idea. Renei shook her head and resolved to think more about it later. She was in the middle of a fight, dammit, and she couldn't allow herself to get distracted! With that, she headed for the next set of stairs and began her way up.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: The title of this chapter is supposed to draw attention to conflicts between one's perception of their environment versus reality. Jack gets called a girl, revealing that his opponents perceive that calling a guy a girl somehow disempowers him. Renei meets Torino and Mitchie and learns that her opponents aren't always villains.**_

_**Also, the headcanon I'm operating under in this fight with Team Non-Securities is that two factions developed within. One faction wanted to protect those who couldn't protect themselves, others wanted the power and security that comes from numbers so they could get revenge on people who wronged them. Before the Enforcers show up, the former leader had an "accident" that allowed his second-in-command to take charge. He's a tyrant that wanted to get revenge on those who'd wronged him somehow, and his heavy-handed leadership tactics drove away most of those who wanted to fight for justice. This just leads to further heavy-handedness on the new leader's part as he searches for any hint of disloyalty among those left until Team Non-Securities is running on a skeleton crew.**_

_**Thanks for sticking with me, and let me know what you're thinking in the comments!**_


	16. Satellite is United

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

**Laying Down the Law: Satellite is United**

At the top of the stairs was another roll-up door. There was a gap between the bottom of the door and the floor, and Renei bent down to lift this one up, too. Beyond was yet another large room filled with crates, along with some machinery with active conveyor belts. She searched the room thoroughly, shoving crates and riding along conveyor belts. She didn't find any more Non-Securities members, just some junk. It was kind of fun making her way through the haphazard maze, and she toyed with the idea of coming back after they'd won and spending the day building crate forts in here.

Finally, she reached the stairs on the opposite wall from where she entered. A sign on the wall said "Roof Access," and she began her way up the stairs. Suddenly, she heard a scream and Kiryu yelling "_Yusei!_" Her heart dropped and she ran up the last few steps to find Kiryu lying on his stomach clutching something just over the edge. The railing that ran around the edge of the roof was broken and twisted where he was. Yusei was nowhere in sight.

Renei heard Kiryu say with false bravado, "Yusei! Hang in there! I'll pull you up in no time!" She felt sick, suddenly, and it was as if her legs had turned to lead, making her unable to move. Her fears were confirmed as Yusei said Kiryu's name in a tone full of desperation and fright. Kiryu was straining to lift Yusei, who had somehow fallen over the edge of the roof, but was unable to use his whole strength while lying on his stomach. There was a sharp _crack_ and Renei saw some concrete chunks go over the edge.

Yusei yelled again, then called up, "It's not working! Just… Just let go! Keep this up and you'll fall, too!"

Kiryu grunted and said angrily, "Are you nuts? I can't just leave you! No way!" With a cry of rage, he tried to heave Yusei upwards again. His teeth gritted as he added in between his efforts "I'm… _definitely_… not letting you… go! You're my… _friend_!"

Whatever else he'd been about to add was interrupted by sadistic laughter, and a deep voice called out, "Well, isn't that _precious_! You two just warm my heart."

Renei looked across the roof to see another Non-Securities member standing at the foot of a walkway that connected this rooftop with the one next to is. He smirked and said, "I never thought that trap would actually work, but it snared both of you. Just _smashing_!" As he crossed the bridge, he pretended to look thoughtful and added, "But I wonder how much longer you can continue this little game of friendship…" His face shifted to a violent glee.

"All I have to do is hurt you _just_ a little to get you to let go, am I right?"

Kiryu growled and spat obscenities, but was helpless as long as he held onto Yusei. Renei knew she had to move, or they were both done for. She let out an angry cry and forced her legs to work, running to block the gang member's path. She hear Yusei pleading for Kiryu to let go, and Kiryu refused again. Their exchange made the Non-Securities member laugh, and he said, "Trying to play the hero, eh?" Suddenly, Renei was in front of him, face twisted in a snarl, and she flung her arms out to block his path. She was just as scared as she was enraged, but would dedicate every fiber of her being to keep this psycho away from her friends for as long as it took. He was bigger than her, and she could see a few scars on his face and arms from previous fights. This monster was probably capable of leaving her in a broken heap, but every moment she could delay him was another that Yusei and Kiryu could get to safety.

The ferocious expression on her face made him retreat a step in surprise, saying, "Huh? What are you doing?"

She growled, "I'm not letting you hurt them, you sick fuck."

He seemed amused by her action and said, "Oh, you're a friend of theirs, are you? And you intend to try and help them?" He threw his head back and laughed, then said, "So you'd all like to fall together! _Well_, in that case, I'm sure it can be _arranged_."

Renei whipped out her duel cuffs and sent one of the ends flying at the guy's head. Quick as a flash, he brought his arm up so that it smacked his duel disk instead and bounced off. He eyed her speculatively and said, "So, what'll it be?" Smirking, he added, "I very much doubt a wimp like you has what it takes to beat me."

In response, she activated her duel disk and said, "Depends on the fight, motherfucker." Again, she threw one end of the duel cuffs at him, but this time, they latched onto it.

His face went from amused to irritated, and he said, "Oh, really. Looks like I'll have to teach you a lesson, you little slut. I'll finish you off, first." He activated his duel disk, then pressed something she couldn't see on it. Her duel disk beeped oddly then, and she glanced down at it to find her Life Points had been halved. She thought she couldn't get any more angry, but the highly illegal mod to his duel disk made her previous state of mind seem like mild irritation. Renei was going to destroy this cockbite. She was going to make him wish he'd never been born. She would rain down the full power of the Enforcers and leave him as a quivering shell of his former self to serve as an examp-

_It's what he wants you to do!_

Renei started at the thought. He wanted her to completely eradicate the fact of his existence? She looked at her opponent then, and saw that he was grinning. Instead of being intimidated by her fury, he seemed pleased by it. It was then she realized that he wanted her angry. If she lost control of her anger, she would make mistakes. Renei knew she couldn't afford any mistakes, but even knowing that she was being manipulated made her more upset. Trying to be rational about it didn't help.

She tried to think of something else, and the first thing that came to mind was her dream about the Duel Monsters from before. The feelings that had been left behind after waking up returned, and she felt her anger slowly drop to a colder burn. Getting angry at what he'd done to her and her friends wouldn't keep him from hurting anyone. Only beating him would. She drew and their duel began.

With her Life Points cut in half, she was at a big disadvantage, but her beginning hand made her feel a bit more in control of the situation. As the duel progressed, she continued to draw cards that gave her more and more of an advantage. Her opponent relied on Six Samurai cards, which were well known for supporting each other, and as Renei continued to duel him, she remembered how few members there were and what Mitchie and Torino had said. It was somehow ironic that this person used a deck that relied on strength in numbers when he faced her without any support.

While she became calmer and more confident as she dueled, her opponent became more and more upset. Every stalling tactic and every hit he took to his Life Points seemed to provoke him, as if each was a deeply personal insult. He tossed out a couple more insults and jeers, but Renei only smirked at them. Words were air. As long as that was all he threw at her, she would live.

He started threatening her then, describing what he would do to her and her friends once she lost. That was harder for her to deal with, and his descriptions became more detailed when he saw the effect they had on her. She didn't doubt he could accomplish most of what he described. He was bigger and obviously an experienced fighter. His scars attested to the fact that he won a lot more than he lost. He could easily subdue her by himself, and if nobody came to help out Kiryu and Yusei, it would be easy for him to kill them. Rather than let her fear overwhelm her like her anger had, though, she took a determined step forward, allowing the duel cuffs to gain a little slack. Now with one quick flip, she could wrap a coil around him and her victory blow would stun him while frying his duel disk. He couldn't control her. She wouldn't _let_ him control her or hurt her friends.

Not a single attack of his touched her Life Points, and though the process was difficult, Renei worked her way through his defenses and whittled down his Life Points to almost nothing. By this point, her opponent was clearly enraged. He was breathing hard, and his entire focus was on her.

He sputtered as she struck her final blow and his duel disk was fried. "Y-you…! I didn't expect you to be that good!" He began to stalk toward her, but Kiryu's voice rang out from behind her.

"Hello there! Having a good time?"

Renei turned just enough to see him and Yusei advancing towards her and her defeated opponent. Yusei's expression was grim and determined, while Kiryu's eyes danced dangerously, seeming to invite a fight. Her opponent fell back a step, saying, "Huh?! When did you two…?! No! That's impossible!" He'd been so focused on trying to control Renei during the duel that he hadn't noticed Kiryu and Yusei managing to work together and get back to safety

Facing all three of them, Renei's opponent snarled incoherently. For a moment, Renei thought he might charge them and seriously regretted not zapping him when she'd had the chance. Instead, he backed away, then ran for the stairs. Kiryu _tsk_ed and said, "Such a pathetic guy."

Once he was gone, Yusei faced both of them and said seriously, "Kiryu, Renei. I'm really sorry about what happened. If I'd been paying more attention, none of thi-"

Kiryu clapped him on the shoulder and grinned. "Yusei, what are you talking about! We're friends! Friends always help each other out!" He threw his arms around Renei's and Yusei's shoulders and added, "And to top it off… We've brought this area under our control! Finally, _Satellite is united!_"

These last words were shouted, and Renei winced at his proximity to her ear, but smiled nonetheless. Yusei nodded, and the corners of his mouth twitched up as he said, "We finally did it."

Kiryu grabbed Renei in a mock chokehold and said, "Not to mention, Renei took down the final leader!" He ruffled her hair as he said, "You were a huge help, Renei!"

Renei batted him away and smoothed her hair out in annoyance. Yusei looked amused and said, "Definitely. Everyone contributed, that's how we were able to do it. Right, Renei?"

She nodded, and Kiryu threw his arms around her shoulders again. "Ha, sure it is! I tell you, I've got the best friends in the whole world!" He laughed, and she grinned along with him.

Finally, Yusei said, "Let's go meet up with Jack and Crow." He began to head for the stairs.

Kiryu followed, saying, "Yeah! And after that, let's go _celebrate!_" He let out a whoop and raced down the stairs, followed by Yusei at a more measured pace. Yusei paused and glanced at her.

"You coming, Renei?"

She nodded, but looked at where just a little while before, he'd been hanging moments away from death. It made her blood run cold knowing just how close they'd all come to losing him. He walked back to her and held out his hand. She looked at him and felt that bond they'd shared after she'd saved him from the trap at Team Dirty Works hideout. Silently, she gripped his forearm, and he returned her grip, offering reassurance and taking it as well. She looked at him intently and said, "Thank you."

A little smile lifted his lips and he said, "I got your back. Let's go find the others."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: And later that night, they proceeded to drink and drive and play high speed card games on motorcycles! Of course, they drank water. With electrolytes. Because card games on motorcycles is a serious sport that requires one to stay well-hydrated.**_


	17. Breaking the Spell

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

**Breaking the Spell**

Four days after conquering the last area, Renei, Jack, and Yusei were in the war room. At first, they'd all joined Kiryu wholeheartedly in celebrating their final victory, but the novelty of it had worn off by now. Jack was leaning sullenly against one of the wall, staring out at the mainland. Yusei was working on a duel disk at the desk in the room and occasionally asked Renei to hand him some part or tool. He had spread out partly over the map that they'd completely filled, and she studied it idly, thinking about how there was nothing left to do. It wasn't until Yusei repeated her name a couple of times that she realized he was asking her for another part again. He studied her for a moment, then put down his tools and looked down at the map.

She sighed and stepped away from the table, stretching. "God, I'm bored. Where are Crow and Kiryu?"

Jack said sourly, "Crow's downstairs. Kiryu is probably still partying out there somewhere."

Silence fell, and Renei glanced back and forth between her friends. Finally, she said, "Well, I'm going out for a ride. Are you guys going to come?"

Jack grunted in response, but Yusei was still staring at the map just as she had been a few moments before. He traced the outline of Satellite with a finger and asked quietly, "Now that we've conquered all of Satellite… What's next?"

Neither Jack or Renei responded. That question was one that apparently had been in everyone's minds for a while now. Yusei was just the first one to put it into words. After a moment of silence, Yusei shook his head slightly, as if trying to break out of a trance, and looked up at Renei with a little grin.

"Hey, Renei. Why don't we have a little duel? Just for fun, of course."

She grinned back and said, "Alright. Show me what you got, Yusei."

He nodded firmly and said, "Okay! Let's make it a good one!"

After clearing away his project, they set up for a freehand game on the table. Jack looked on with a disdainful expression on his face, but Renei could tell by the way he shifted his position that he was more interested than he seemed.

As Yusei and Renei dueled, she began to feel as if they were lacking some vital energy. Normally, a duel with Yusei became a spirited contest of wills, with each person focused wholeheartedly on the game and on the struggle to win. Every time she dueled him, she came away from it energized and feeling as if she'd advanced in skill. Though he'd never beaten her yet, each time she was pushed to new limits and learned something new. This duel, though, wasn't like that. Yusei wasn't pushing the boundaries of her abilities, but seemed far away somehow. His moves were more reflexive and mechanical than purposeful. When she won, it was anticlimactic.

"You've gotten really good." Yusei gathered up his cards.

Renei snorted at that, and said, "You've gotten worse." This made him pause, and he looked at her for a long moment.

"She's right, Yusei. That was pathetic. How can that satisfy you?"

Jack was staring at the mainland again, his eyebrows drawn together in a scowl as he spoke. Renei sensed a deeper message beneath those words, but it was a message for Yusei, not her.

Yusei stared at Jack, then held up his hand and flexed it, looking at it with an undecipherable expression. "Nobody knows what might happen in the days to come. I've realized that I should treat every single duel as though it were my last."

Jack snorted derisively, and pushed himself off the wall. He stalked over to the table and slammed his deck down on top of it, then glowered at Renei imperiously.

"Dueling is our heart and soul. Come on, Renei!"

She rolled her eyes, but set up again for another duel. Jack was just as good as Yusei normally was, and he challenged her in exactly the same ways. He sometimes went overboard with his kingly act, especially during duels, but Renei put up with it because she was his friend. He could be rude and terse at times, but he was also loyal.

"Every single duel is a bridge to the future!"

She groaned at that one, and said, "Jack, that was a little too over-the-top. If you're going to be a king someday, you have to be a bit more subtle. Otherwise, nobody will take you seriously!"

He harrumphed and they began their duel.

Where Yusei had been disengaged, Jack was almost too intense. He went for dramatic combos and immense displays of power. Rather than patiently whittling away at her defenses, he tried to overwhelm her with his dragons in an attempt to win with one decisive move. When she thwarted his attacks, he became more and more frustrated and tried even harder to win through sheer force. His strategies grew increasingly sloppy as a result, until finally, she put him out of his misery and won the duel.

Jack slammed his fist down on the table, and Renei let him take a few moments to collect his cool again before gathering up her cards. He gathered his as well, then stared at his deck. At last, he made a pronouncement that was heavy with importance.

"I'm taking a new step forward."

Renei and Yusei watched as Jack very deliberately took a step forward, then faced them with a confident expression.

"Now I have my head screwed on straight again."

Renei shook her head and said, "Whatever. I'm going for a ride. Maybe Crow'll go with me." Jack was weird sometimes. He liked to emphasize the importance of actions over words, but she didn't always understand what his actions meant. She headed downstairs, where she found Crow prowling restlessly and poking around in the piles of junk that lay everywhere. He shook his head when she asked if he wanted to go with her for a ride.

She shrugged. "Okay. Oh, yeah, do you know where Kiryu went?"

Crow paused, thinking for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know. It seems like we've been kinda out of it for the past couple of days, honestly, Kiryu especially."

Renei leaned against the door frame, nodding her agreement slowly. Crow added more quietly, "Maybe everyone's just burned out a bit."

She realized that he was right. She just hadn't realized it until Crow had named it. They'd all been fighting for control of Satellite for so long that it had seemed for a while as if their struggle would never end. Now it had, and none of them had the slightest idea of what to do next. She remembered her doubts about Kiryu from before the fight with Team Dirty Works and nearly blurted out all her fears right then.

Renei stopped, wondering what would happen to her friends if she did such a thing. It would drive a wedge into the Enforcers and divide them. The bond that they all shared could unravel completely if she questioned the one person who had brought them all together and forged them into a team. Could she live with herself if she made everything they had worked for together fall apart with just a few words?

She had no answer for her own question, and that was somehow terrifying. She fled from the hideout, intending to seek some sort of peace in the rush of riding her D-Wheel, but was surprised to find Kiryu just outside, engaged in a duel. She took in the scene with a frown, noticing that his opponent was a kid that had his back to the cliff edge that helped protect their hideout. Why was he standing there? There was a lot of room closer to the hideout to duel. There was no need for the kid to stand so close to the cliff's edge.

Kiryu laughed at his young opponent, and shouted mockingly, "Aw, what's wrong? Is that all you got?!"

Renei's stomach twisted in sudden fear as she listened to him. What did Kiryu think he was doing?

Kiryu continued to shout, his tone turning from mocking to angry. "You're no match for me at all! You don't have any right to call yourself a duelist!"

The kid had no reply, but Renei could see his face screwed up with terror and tears were streaming from his eyes as he desperately tried to find a way out of his situation. Renei was outraged at Kiryu's behavior and was moving to stop him almost before she realized it.

Kiryu hadn't noticed her and was taunting his opponent now. "Crying won't make anything better! Now come on, it's your turn! Go on! Bring out that _pathetic_ little card I know you wanna play!" He laughed derisively, and added, "It won't save you!"

She'd reached him by now and had seized his shoulder, spinning him around to face her.

"Kiryu, what the fuck are yo-"

He backhanded her with his duel disk. The blow landed across her face with the blade-like edge of the duel disk, knocking her to the ground. She lay stunned for a moment before pain blossomed across her face, snapping her back to her senses. It took a considerable amount of effort not to cry out, but Kiryu had a dangerous, half-wild look in his eyes as he shouted, "Get outta my way!" that made her clamp down on any expression of weakness. Instead, she edged away carefully, waiting until he'd turned his back on her and focused on the duel again before getting to her feet and running inside. She nearly collided with the other boys, and Crow caught her, a surprised look on his face. Renei almost lashed out at him on instinct, fear and pain combining into a primal desire to _get away_.

"Whoa, Renei, what's wrong? Why so jittery?"

In a rush, she told them what Kiryu was doing and what he'd done to her. Crow looked shocked, then his face became dark with outrage.

"We gotta go stop him! Come on!"

Crow took off outside, followed by Jack and Yusei. Renei hesitated for a fraction of a second before following.

They saw Kiryu had won the duel and was advancing on the kid, saying, "You losers need to quit hanging around in front of our hideout!"

The kid was backing away, babbling about how he'd only wanted to ask to be an Enforcer and how he was so sorry for invading their turf and he wouldn't do it again if only Kiryu would just let him go! Kiryu shook his head in disgust and said, "If you're going to duel an Enforcer, you have to be prepared for the consequences."

Crow charged, shouting, "Kiryu, _stop it!_" He tackled Kiryu and managed to pin him, then yelled at the kid, "Hey, you! Get outta here! Go!"

The kid didn't hesitate, but took off. Only when he was gone did Crow release Kiryu and back away.

Kiryu jumped up, furious, fists clenched at his sides, and shouted, "What the _fuck_ do ya think you're doing, Crow?!"

Crow was just as angry and didn't back down from his leader. "I'd like to ask you the same fucking thing! What the hell do you think you're gaining by doing this?" He gestured savagely at the cliff.

Kiryu snarled, and stepped up to Crow. "Weeding out the fucking _weaklings_, that's what! And if anyone's not rolling with us, they're our enemies! How else are we gonna keep control of Satellite?!"

Crow's voice dropped, and he said in a deadly quiet voice, "You think we have to start hurting little kids like that, though?"

Kiryu hadn't noticed the sudden dangerous shift in Crow's attitude and snapped, "Yeah! We do! We don't need _any_ damn wannabe duelists around here, no matter how old they are!"

All the Enforcers knew Crow had a soft spot for kids, and Renei knew that seeing Kiryu nearly force the kid off the cliff would enrage him beyond reason. She watched them square off, and Yusei and Jack moved closer, looking tense. Crow's arms shook for a moment, and Renei thought he would hit Kiryu and spark a bloody fight.

Finally, Crow looked Kiryu square in the eye and said bitterly, "I thought dueling was about the ability to have fun whenever you want, no matter who you are. What gives _you_ the right to take that away from any of us? From _anybody_?"

Kiryu flinched, but didn't look like he was going to back down. He opened his mouth to retort something, and Renei realized that was the worst thing Kiryu could do. Crow saw what Kiryu was about to say and shook his head before deliberately turning his back. "I'm done."

Kiryu spluttered in indignant rage. "What do you mean, _you're done?!_"

There was a hint of disappointment in Crow's voice as he said, "I'm through with this team."

Renei wasn't surprised. Kiryu had had an opportunity to bridge the gap he'd created between himself and Crow by apologizing and admitting he was in the wrong. Instead, he'd chosen to lash out at Crow, and driven him away, possibly forever. Yusei looked stricken and moved towards Crow, reaching out one hand and then pulling it back a little, saying his name. Crow just walked away, not looking at any of them.

Kiryu watched in astonishment as Crow left, then realized what was happening. He started hurling accusations at the retreating back as if doing so would mend the rift he'd ripped opened. Crow just ignored him and kept walking.

Jack watched Crow go, then studied Kiryu for a long moment. Renei thought he seemed to be searching for something inside their leader, but whatever he found wasn't enough. Jack frowned and turned to walk away, too.

Renei closed her eyes. It seemed that she hadn't needed to question Kiryu at all. The Enforcers was falling apart without her input. Kiryu himself had seen to that, whether he knew it yet or not.

Kiryu was more stunned by this development. "Jack!"

Yusei stood next to him, a pained expression on his face. Renei could tell it was tearing him apart to watch their friendships disintegrate before their eyes. It was doing the same to her, too. How could she abandon Kiryu after Crow and Jack had? How could she stay after he'd hit her?

Kiryu turned to Yusei, almost pleadingly. His voice was desperate as he said, "Yusei, we're a team, right? We're friends, right?!"

Yusei looked at him, a mix of painful emotions on his face. Kiryu's face took on a look of panic as he begged, "Come on, say _something!_"

Something broke inside Renei, then. She couldn't stand to watch this play out anymore. There was no point in staying with Kiryu. He'd broken any ties they'd had by hitting her, and she was a fool for staying even this long. She couldn't follow someone who had no vision anymore or struck out in anger at the people who supported him. The Enforcers were no more. Renei began to walk away, too.

"Renei…" Yusei's voice made her hesitate. She glanced back to see he had taken a couple of steps in her direction and stood in between her and Kiryu. He met her gaze, and she could see that he didn't know what to do. Kiryu had saved him from certain death! How could he even think of abandoning his friend, his _saviour_?

Yet she had also saved him.

Right then, Renei saw that if she pushed even the slightest bit, Yusei would come with her. Kiryu would be left to rule Satellite all alone, without anyone to turn to for help. The rest of the Enforcers would live the rest of their lives without having to deal with Kiryu's hatred for the rest of the world. They could live happily ever after without Kiryu, or at least as close to it as residents of Satellite could get. All it would take was for her to ask Yusei to come with her, and he would follow.

To do so would make Yusei hate himself forever.

Renei watched Yusei for a long moment, then looked away. She couldn't do that to Yusei. They shared a bond that went deeper than any other. She would not force him to do anything that would so utterly destroy him. Instead, she looked at Kiryu. He seemed on the verge of emotional collapse and unable to comprehend what was happening. There were so many things she could have said in that moment, so many things that would have allowed her to get back at him for hitting her, that would have left him a wreck. And yet… She found herself unable to utter a single word.

Resolutely, she turned her back and walked away.

_**Author's Note**__**: I thought there should be a slang term for dueling without duel disks, so in this story, it's called freehanding because the hand that would normally carry the duel disk is free. Credit goes to Kozmotis Pitchiner for coming up with that after proclaiming loudly that I was a huge nerd for even asking for advice. Now I feel like there should be a slang term for dueling with duel disks just to go with it. If you guys have suggestions, I would totally love to hear it.**_

_**Also, huge thanks to Yurei Hanatsuki for agreeing to be a beta reader. She's helping me out quite a bit. I would totally recommend her to any writers looking for a beta reader, but remember, I've got dibs! **_

_**And extra thanks to everyone who's left reviews for this story so far. Every single one keeps me motivated, so I have nothing but love for y'all.**_


	18. The Death of a Bond

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

**The Death of a Bond**

Renei went back to the shack, hoping to find Crow, but he and his Blackbird were gone. When she'd asked some of the kids if they'd seen where he'd gone, they'd just shrugged and went back to playing their games. She had waited inside for him to show up, but finally fell asleep without seeing him.

The next morning, she started idly wandered the streets of Satellite, wondering what she should do now. The Enforcers were over and done with after yesterday's fiasco. There was nothing on Satellite to do that she hadn't already done, and there was no way for her to escape it. She was just more garbage that had the bad luck of ending up on a dead-end island. Eventually, she ended up at the edge of the island, looking out at the scummy sea where bits of debris and garbage bumped and bobbed in the waves. She felt her bad mood turn to depression as she stared at the shitty, soupy mess.

A flash of orange to her right caught her eye and she glanced over to see Crow standing next to a dessicated ramp that leaned out over the sea. He saw her at the same time, and she walked over to him. For a while, they stood in silence, looking at the structure together. It had been corroded by salt water and looked like it would collapse into the sea at any moment. Renei thought it looked pretty similar to how she felt and imagined for a second what it would be like to cast herself into the sea. It wasn't as if there was any point in pretending they had a purpose anymore. Just like this old ramp to nowhere. Just like Satellite.

Finally, Crow broke the silence.

"I don't think I told you this yet… The story about the man who once tried to liberate Satellite?"

She shook her head quietly, and Crow settled into his storytelling pose.

* * *

><p><em>A long time ago, a guy came riding into town on a very strange-looking D-Wheel.<em>

_He would come to this exact spot and just stare off into the distance towards the city. Every single day, without fail. He'd just come and look._

_But one day… He stopped coming. He found a purpose in life… _

_He knew he had to build a bridge to connect Satellite with the city…_

_Daedalus Bridge._

_Everybody said it couldn't be done and that he was crazy for even thinking about it._

_But he never gave up…_

_Those people who made fun of him at first gradually started thinking maybe, __maybe__ he would finish it…_

_For the residents of Satellite who merely recycle the trash coming from the mainland each day… For those people with no bright future, the bridge became their symbol of hope._

_Unfortunately…_

_Some folks showed up that didn't like the idea of this new bridge being built._

_Securities._

_Construction was stopped and the person who started it all hit the top of Securities' most wanted. Everybody gave up on the idea and said it was doomed from the start. They figured he'd get arrested._

_Eventually, Securities did catch up to him._

_He had two options. One was to surrender and spend his life in a cell._

_Or…_

_He could turn himself into a living legend._

_A legend not bound by common sense or any kind of powers…_

_That's why he jumped._

_Nobody knows what happened to him after that…_

* * *

><p>"... But I have so much respect for him and what he tried to do…"<p>

Crow ended his story and they continued to stare at the unfinished bridge. Renei had never heard this story before, and didn't know how Crow had come to know it. Still, standing there amidst the sound of the sea slapping against the edge of Satellite and looking at the remains of a dream made the story seem real to her. In the unfinished bridge, she imagined she could see the broken dreams of Satellite and the broken hopes of her team. But she could also see something else…

In the defiant curve of the bridge as it reached for the impossibly distant shores of the mainland, she also saw an escape. Satellite didn't have to just accept its fate of being the dumping grounds for the mainland's crap. It could rise above it, just as this bridge rose above the waves and resisted the erosion of the sea. Satellite could become something new, something better. The Enforcers might have fallen apart, but maybe she and Crow and Jack could make Satellite better somehow. Maybe they could fulfill the vision that Kiryu never had.

Crow stirred and said, "He's basically the reason I started dueling in the first place."

Renei didn't know if he meant the man from his story or Kiryu. Crow sighed, saying sadly, "But now…"

They were interrupted by the sound of little footsteps racing towards them. Renei turned to see Annie running up, her face worried. For a moment, she feared Itsuki had been kidnapped again as the little girl said in relief, "_Crow!_ Oh, Crow, thank goodness you're here!" Annie skidded to a halt in front of them and began babbling out an incoherent story too quickly for Renei to understand.

Crow knelt down and put his hands on the little girl's shoulders, looking concerned and a little frightened. "Whoa, _whoa_, calm down! What's up? What happened?"

Annie took a couple of big gulps of air, then said in a rush, "Something really bad! Kiryu is fighting against Securities all by himself!"

Shock ran through Renei as Crow demanded, "What?! _Where?_"

Hurriedly, Annie said, "In the building that used to be the hideout for Team Black 'n' Blue! Me and the others heard some of the Securities talking about it. We all went looking for you guys as soon as we heard!"

Crow cursed. "That _idiot_! What's he thinking?" He stood up and spun towards Renei, pointing at her. "Renei! We have to get everyone together so we can go help that moron! I'll go look for Jack, you go find Yusei! We'll meet up at the hideout. I'm countin' on ya!" She nodded and took off immediately, knowing she'd probably find Yusei at their hideout, while Crow took off in the direction Jack probably was.

It didn't take her long to reach the hideout, and she found Yusei almost immediately as he came walking down the stairs. He looked surprised to see her and asked, "What's wrong, Renei? You look a little flustered…"

"Kiryu's gone nuts and attacked Securities by himself. Crow went to go find Jack, and they're going to meet us here."

Yusei's jaw dropped, and he said, "What?! Kiryu…? And Securities?! I thought he just went out for a walk or something! What is he thinking…?!"

Just then, Crow and Jack came running into the hideout. Immediately, Crow snapped, "Yusei! Did you hear?"

Yusei nodded, looking crestfallen. "Yeah, Kiryu left without saying anything a little while ago. I had no idea he was thinking about doing something like this…"

Jack stepped forward and said, "No time to talk about it now. Let us hurry and help Kiryu."

Crow nodded sharply and said, "The kids told us he was in the place that was Team Black 'n' Blue's hideout."

Yusei moved for the door, saying, "We have to go before it's too late. Come on!"

They arrived to find that Securities had the front entrance covered, but Crow led them to another hidden entrance on the opposite side of the building that he'd found during their turf battle. Once they were inside, they huddled up.

Crow said decisively in a low voice, "We're gonna split up here. I'll check the basement area."

Yusei nodded. "We'll head upstairs from this way. If he hasn't been caught, he might still be on the top floor."

Jack's face was grim and determined, and he met everyone's gazes in turn as he added warningly, "Just make sure no Securities spot you."

With that, they all went their separate ways. Renei searched the nearby rooms and hiding places, doing her best to stay quiet and undetected. When she found nothing, she moved upstairs to search some more and found a Securities member instead. He was scowling and pacing back and forth, occasionally kicking a pile of junk and muttering under his breath. Carefully, silently, she kept out of his line of sight and crept down the hall. Kiryu wasn't on this floor or he would've been caught already. She made her way to the next set of stairs.

The Securities guard up here wasn't pacing angrily. He was taking his job seriously, standing where he could see anyone approaching from either end of the hall. Renei moved at an agonizingly slow pace from shadow to shadow, only moving when she was certain he wouldn't see her. After what seemed like years, but was probably more like a few moments, she reached the first door. Thankfully, it was already open wide enough for her to slip inside out of sight of the Securities member. Her heart was pounding from the fear that came from being just one mistake from being caught and imprisoned. She hadn't been nearly so scared when she'd busted into the Securities facility to get her and Crow's decks back.

As she surveyed the room, she saw the huge break in the wall and remembered it from when she'd last been here. An idea came to her, and she quickly found a little chunk of debris. It was an easy thing to chuck it through the partially open door, and it made a solid _thunk_ing noise as it hit some more garbage down the hall and kept on going downstairs. She heard the Securities guard's footsteps as he went to investigate the noise and quickly slipped through the hole in the wall.

She met Yusei, who had his ear to another door farther down the hall. She wondered how he'd gotten here before her without being spotted, but wasn't that surprised. Crow had told her this place was riddled with secret passageways and escape routes. Yusei beckoned to her and when she drew near, said quietly, "This must be it. I heard Kiryu's voice coming from inside."

Renei nodded. "Let's go then." Yusei pushed the door open, and they slipped into the room together.

There were a few windows, and the room was lit more thoroughly than the hallway had been. Yusei froze, and Renei almost ran into him before she saw what had made him stop. When she did, her hands flew to her mouth and she remembered what Kiryu had almost done the last time they'd all been here. This time, he hadn't stopped with just winning a fistfight and a duel.

A mangled body wearing the helmet and uniform of a Securities officer was lying in a pool of blood on the floor. Standing over the corpse was Kiryu. He was breathing hard and held a thick chunk of wood that was stained dark with blood. His clothes and face were spattered with even more blood as well as bits of gore. The room stank of copper and death and Renei could taste something metallic on her tongue.

_Blood. Oh my god, there's so much of it. How could one body hold this much blood?_

Yusei said in a choked voice, "Kiryu! What… What did…?!"

Kiryu looked up at them, looking faintly surprised. "Oh, it's… It's you guys."

Yusei couldn't seem to stop staring at the horror of the scene. It was almost too awful to comprehend. "What are you doing?!"

At this question, Kiryu straightened up and grinned. "What does it look like?" He gestured with his bloodied club and said, "You know, I finally realized something…"

Renei could only watch in numb revulsion as Kiryu continued to speak, waving the chunk of wood that he'd murdered a Securities officer with as if he were conducting an orchestra.

"If we can defeat Securities, we'll have _really_ conquered all of Satellite!" He turned toward them, arms spread wide, a hopeful look on his face.

"Come on, guys, join me! Let's take these guys on!"

Renei looked into his eyes and saw something dark and terrifying. Kiryu had _killed a Securities officer_. He'd crossed a line that he couldn't come back from, and Renei knew there was no way to save him now. There was no good ending for this. Only the fact that Yusei was still here kept her from leaving Kiryu to his fate.

Yusei swallowed hard, then stepped forward and grasped Kiryu's shoulders desperately. "You're not thinking straight! We can't expect to win against them all!" His voice pleaded for Kiryu to see reason.

There was a muffled series of shouts, then the pounding of feet approaching. They all stopped and looked at each other, knowing that Securities was headed their way.

Yusei took charge and pulled Kiryu towards one of the busted out windows, while calling to Renei, "You and Kiryu head back to the hideout straight away! I'll be right behind you as soon as I find Crow and Jack!"

Kiryu made a face, but pulled himself up on the edge of the window and swung his legs out onto the fire escape outside. Renei followed suit, though she desperately did not want to be left alone with Kiryu. He was fucking batshit insane now, and she didn't want to have to face him alone after she'd abandoned him. If he decided to come at her, she knew that the only way she'd survive is if she killed him.

_And I don't know if I could do that if it came down to it… He's stronger than me and… He's already killed somebody once._

It was something that she wouldn't find out unless and until the moment of truth came. Renei desperately hoped that moment wouldn't come anytime soon.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: So, lovely readers, we are nearing the end of Chapter 2! (Finally, right?) **_

_**And omigoodness, is this a semi-regular update? What madness have I succumbed to?**_

_**This is what happens when I have a fantastic beta reader and feedback from you readers. I write several chapters in advance.**_

_**Ending this was a challenge. Hopefully, y'all will let me know how it turned out. Also, are any of you missing the duels? I don't know many of you even read them, so it would be awesome if you let me know how you felt about them. This fic is turning out a bazillion times longer than I expected, so I've been cutting them.**_


	19. Last Stand

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

**Last Stand**

Back at their hideout, Renei stood near the doorway of the war room while Kiryu paced back and forth like a caged animal. She'd managed to convince him to change into clothes that weren't covered in gore and now watched him with trepidation as he scowled. He slammed his fists onto the map that they'd colored completely black and said, "_Fuck!_ Those goddamn Securities can't do shit without ganging up and bullying people!"

Renei tried not to flinch, but failed. Fortunately, Kiryu was too busy returning to his pacing to notice. He was scaring the shit out of her, and she wondered if the others would ever return. What would she do if they didn't come back? What if Securities had caught them, leaving her to deal with this homicidal maniac?

Her rising panic was cut short as Crow, Jack and Yusei walked in right then, looking tired and stressed. Yusei's expression turned to relief when he saw Renei and Kiryu and smiled as he said, "I see you two made it back safely."

Jack folded his arms and said, "There's a whole lot of Securities out on the streets, though. This is not a time to let our guard down."

Crow nodded his agreement, face serious. "Yeah. We should all lay low until all this blows over." Renei snorted at that optimistic suggestion.

_Securities isn't going to let the death of one of their officers just _blow over_. They're gonna hunt down the person responsible and make an example out of him. _

Kiryu was royally fucked, and if the guys thought they could change the outcome of these events by just hiding until Securities gave up and went away, they were kidding themselves.

Kiryu whirled on them, looking belligerent. "What?! What are you talking about?!" He spread his hands out, palms up, voice taking on that charismatic tone they'd once followed so eagerly to turf wars. "I know we can't take them all on at once, but if we take them out little by little, we can win!" He clenched one hand into a fist and raised it triumphantly. "We're the Enforcers! It should be no problem for us!"

Crow frowned, then marched up to Kiryu and punched him in the face. Kiryu reeled backward with a cry and caught the edge of the table. Renei reached up to touch the bruise on her own face and couldn't help gloating a little over Kiryu's obvious surprise at being punched. Before Kiryu could say or do anything, Crow snapped, "Don't go getting so fucking overconfident, ya moron! Yeah, we're a serious team, but goin' up against all of them would just be stupid!"

Kiryu looked sideways and muttered, "Well, we won't know unless we try…" Seeming to regain some confidence, he glared back at Crow and added, "It's not like there's an infinite number of them, you know!"

Crow growled with exasperation at Kiryu's stubborn idiocy. "We gotta think carefully before just diving into a goddamn battle like this! The safety of Satellite is on our shoulders!"

Renei understood what Crow meant. Right now, Securities knew who their target was. They were completely focused on finding that target. If their target were to fade away, though, Securities would continue to look for someone to take out their frustrations someone would probably end up being any Satellite resident unlucky enough to cross Securities' path. Innocent people would get hurt.

Kiryu just _humph_ed in irritation and crossed his arms, looking like a child throwing a tantrum. Renei tried not to shiver as she thought, _A child throwing a tantrum who just killed somebody a little while ago_. Silence descended, until finally, Jack said, "I think we should at least stay here today. If we're out and about, we could be spotted at any time."

Just as he said that, they suddenly heard the wail of sirens approaching. In the distance, they could hear a helicopter. Renei heard Crow mutter "No way…" under his breath as he left the war room to check what was going on outside. He returned a moment later, looking dismayed.

"Oh, man… There's a ton of Securities out there…"

They all looked at each other as an amplified voice drifted through the air. "We know you're in there! Come out peacefully with your hands up!"

Jack's face was uneasy as he said, "Looks like we've got no way out…"

Renei looked at Yusei and saw his face screw up as he obviously worked out something furiously in his mind. Meanwhile, Kiryu was attempting to rally the Enforcers, saying enthusiastically, "Well, you know what we've gotta do now. Let's just fuckin' take 'em out, like I said! We can do it!"

Slowly, Yusei said, "No, we can't… There's no way…"

Kiryu whirled on him, angry again. "What?!"

Yusei didn't flinch, but stared implacably back at Kiryu, refusing to back down. Calmly, he said, "Even if all of us fight, there's no way we can win this one. Things will get way out of hand and innocent bystanders could get hurt."

Renei frowned. Something in Yusei's voice made her think there was something he wasn't telling them. He looked around at everyone and said, "I have an idea, though…"

It was Jack's turn to snort and he said sardonically, "Oh, really. And how do you propose to get us out of this one?"

A flash of pain crossed Yusei's face, but he covered it with an expression of resolve. "I… I can't tell you. Just trust me."

Crow asked, "Are you sure about this, Yusei?"

Kiryu interrupted, saying irritably, "Why can't we just do this the easy way and take 'em by force? I _know_ we can do this!"

Crow studied Yusei for a moment, then shook his head. "I'm gonna go with Yusei's idea. If we resist, you know the losses are gonna be huge."

Jack nodded in agreement. "Even if we escape this time, we'll have an even bigger mess to get ourselves out of next time."

Kiryu ground his teeth, but finally gave in and asked Yusei resentfully, "So what's the plan then?"

Yusei straightened and said, "Crow, Jack, and Kiryu… You three sneak out the back without Securities noticing." He paused to think. "Let's see… Go to the bowling alley. I'll meet up with you there. Renei, you're with me."

She nodded, wondering what he had in mind. At least he hadn't asked her to go with Kiryu. She would never be able to trust her former leader again. He had hit her and he had killed somebody. What he'd done once, he could and probably would do again, and every time he did, it would become easier for him to do. She just hoped that Crow and Jack would be able to handle Kiryu if he started getting out of hand.

Crow glanced around, checking that everyone was on the same page. "So we're splitting up then? Okay." He began herding Kiryu to the door, but paused to look seriously at the two of them. "Yusei, Renei… Don't go and get yourselves caught."

Jack gave a little smile and added, "Yeah, don't do anything crazy."

Kiryu glowered for a moment, but when nobody said anything else, he threw his hands up. "All right. Fine." He jabbed a finger at both of them. "But you two better show up at the bowling alley later."

With that, they left. Yusei waited until they were gone before he turned to her and said, "Okay. Come with me, Renei."

Wondering what he had planned, Renei followed Yusei downstairs until they were at the front entrance of the hideout. Yusei had been silent the whole way, but finally turned around and said quietly, "I think I'll just turn myself in."

Renei gaped at Yusei in surprise. He hurried to fill the silence with explanation, saying, "If I say I'm the leader, they'll just arrest me and you guys can avoid trouble. When all the Securities are gone, you can go to the bowling alley and explain what happened."

She sat down on the stairs hard and put her head in her hands, suddenly exhausted. If only all these problems would _go away_. Why couldn't Kiryu have just left Securities alone? Why couldn't he have been satisfied with what he'd accomplished? She'd been happy enough with the way things had been. They'd been shitty, sure, but compared to this fucking mess, they looked like a goddamn paradise. Yusei came and sat next to her, and she leaned against him for support.

"Goddammit, Yusei. Kiryu isn't worth becoming a fall guy for. You saw what he did. We all did. You don't have to do this."

Yusei was quiet for a moment, then said, "You guys are all irreplaceable friends. So I'm going to do whatever I can to make sure you're safe."

He made a fist and stared at it. "Our bond is the most important thing to me."

Renei felt tears well up. She was going to lose this noble soul in exchange for the monster that had become Kiryu? What kind of fucked-up world did she live in?

Yusei tried to grin at her, but she could see the pain underneath the expression. "Sorry to make you the bearer of bad news, Renei. But I'm counting on you." She saw then that his eyes were shining with tears, too, and she swiped her own away fiercely. She couldn't cry, not now. Yusei needed her support. He stood and headed for the door, and she quickly rose to follow. Yusei heard her coming and turned with a sad smile.

"Do you have my back?"

In response, she held out her hand. They gripped each other's forearms, and Renei tried to convey every bit of respect, loyalty, and support she felt for him through her fierce grip. Yusei said in a voice thick with emotion, "Thank you." Together, they turned and walked out to face Securities.

Vehicles surrounded the entrance and Renei could see dozens of Securities officers standing around. Most stood behind open vehicle doors, but there was no tension in the air to suggest that Securities felt threatened by the two Enforcers. In fact, they seemed more relaxed than anything else. Overhead, a Securities helicopter circled lazily and colorful lights flashed everywhere. Yusei held his hands up to show they were empty and said loudly, "I'm the leader of the Enforcers. I'm the one who attacked Securities. Nobody else had anything to do with it."

A Securities officer stepped forward, but otherwise didn't make a move to cuff Yusei or otherwise restrain him. Renei frowned, wondering what was going on. Yusei stepped forward. "What's wrong? Go ahead, arrest me!"

The Securities officer seemed to listen to something inside his helmet, then said, "You're right. Our orders are to arrest the leader of the Enforcers."

Yusei nodded solemnly and held out his hands for the Securities officer to cuff.

The Securities officer shook his head and grinned at them. "Which is why we don't have any need for you guys anymore. Go home."

Yusei's face fell, and his voice was distraught as he asked, "What are you talking about?!"

The Securities officer glanced away, then jerked a thumb to the side. "Look over there."

Renei and Yusei turned to see Kiryu struggling ineffectually against two Securities as they tried to force him into the back of a waiting transport. He spotted both of them and went berserk, causing more Securities to rush in and help restrain him.

The Securities officer in front of them said, "By the way, we already sent home the two that were with him. They tried to resist, but it was useless." He looked at them, eyes unreadable behind the darkened visor and added, "Rebelling against Securities is a very serious crime. Don't expect to see him again anytime soon."

Renei flinched as she heard Kiryu screaming, "_Yusei! _You sold me out! You betrayed me, didn't you?! _Didn't you?!_"

Yusei reached out a hand, looking stricken. "No! Kalin, I didn't, I swear!"

Kiryu fought to break free, but now four Securities had a hold of him and all he could do was continue to shout, "_I thought we were friends, Yusei!_" Anything else he might have said was cut short as he was tossed into the back of the transport and had the doors slammed in his face. As the transport left, the Securities members that had blockaded the front of the Enforcer hideout got into various vehicles and left, leaving Yusei and Renei to watch helplessly. As they left, Yusei fell to his knees and said, "Kalin… No… I…"

The sun was setting, and Renei moved to comfort Yusei, silently cursing the clusterfuck of disasters that had ruined everything.

* * *

><p>It was completely dark now, and Crow and Renei had just returned to their shack from Martha's house. Yusei had retreated into one of the guest rooms there and refused to speak to anyone. Renei sat on the bed, completely drained by the day's events, while Crow sat in the computer chair. They were quiet for a time before Crow said, "I wonder if Kiryu will be okay…"<p>

Renei just scowled and flopped over on the dingy mattress. Crow watched her and said, "You must be pretty tired, too. We should probably just call it a day and get some rest."

He stood up and walked towards the door, passing closely enough for her to reach out and catch the edge of his vest. He stopped at the tug and looked down at her.

"Don't go." She didn't meet his gaze, feeling embarrassed. Renei let go of his vest and let her hand drop. He raised his eyebrows, but didn't move.

"I was going to go back to the hideout and sleep there."

Renei scooted closer to the wall and said, "There's room to share. I… I just don't want to be alone tonight. Not after… After everything today." Her voice sounded clingy and desperate to her own ears, and she felt like dying from embarrassment.

Crow shrugged, smiling slightly, and plunked down on the other end of the mattress with his back against the wall. His smile let her know he understood why she'd asked him to stay, replacing part of her embarrassment with relief. She couldn't bear the thought of being by herself without somebody there to back her up tonight. If he stayed with her, she could also make sure that at least one of her friends wouldn't be nabbed by Securities or attacked by other gangs in the night and made to disappear forever.

"Alright, Renei. I'll be here for you. Just don't go snoring or anythin'. I gotta get my beauty sleep too, ya know."

She smiled in appreciation. He always supported her when she most needed it. His comforting presence close by, Renei managed to fall asleep.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: I promise you, there really is no CrowxOC. They're just really close friends who will always have each other's back. It's a rare kind of friend to have, and if you've got somebody like that, hold on to them tight. If you're that kind of friend, know that the people around you love you a hell of a lot.**_


	20. Warnings and Encouragements

Chapter 2: Blast from the Past – Old Memories, a Team's Bond

**Warnings and Encouragements**

_Renei…_

A melodious voice overlaid with gentle harmonics drifted faintly through Renei's dreams. At first, Renei didn't notice it, but it wound its way through her sleeping mind until she managed to focus on it.

_Renei…_

It seemed to embody peace and calm, and Renei longed to know who the source of the voice was. She listened more intently, hoping it would speak once more.

_Renei, can you hear me?_

Renei attempted to speak, but couldn't seem to figure out how to make her voice work. Instead, she nodded, and she felt a wave of relief sweep over her. The feeling had not come from inside her, though, and somehow, she knew it had come from the voice's source.

_I see I've finally gotten through to you._

Renei felt her consciousness start to float along, slowly at first, then gathering speed. Finally, in a burst of light, she was in the middle of a forest. Daylight filtered through the delicate green leaves of the tall trees onto a carpet of grass that was dotted with clusters of colorful flowers, and it seemed to have an air of patience throughout. Her consciousness continued to float along slowly, and the voice spoke again.

_This is the Spirit World of all duel monsters. You have visited here before, in what might have seemed like dreams to you, but they were not. This is not a dream. It's real._

Renei wondered how it could be real when she couldn't feel her body or speak. She was asleep, of course this would be a dream. Then again, if this were a dream, she wouldn't question the voice's words. Everything anyone said in dreams always made perfect sense, even when it was gibberish. She felt the voice's approval as she thought this, and decided to just take it as a dream and not a dream at the same time.

_This is where the spirits of the duel monsters live. They all used to live here in peace. But now…_

Renei felt something dark and cruel at one edge of her consciousness and recoiled at its touch. There were horrors in that presence that promised to drive one insane at even the briefest glimpse of them. It was as if there had been a curtain that something bad had unwittingly brushed against and pushed through for a brief moment. The voice returned, and Renei felt a sense of protection fall around her.

_An evil presence is making its way ever close to this world, Renei. It wants to corrupt this land and control it for its own dark purposes._

The forest faded away, replaced with a bleak scene of vast expanses of gray dunes and black skies. The crisp, clean scent of the forest's air was gone, replaced with a dank, musty odor that stank of despair, if despair could have a smell.

_What's more, it has the same fate in mind for the human world. If the Spirit World is overtaken, the human world will surely follow._

Renei wondered if the presence might not have already managed to start corrupting her world. If all the buildings of Satellite crumbled to sand, it would look a lot like this depressing vision.

_There is a girl in the human world who is the only person that can save this land._

When the voice said this, Renei felt the stirrings of panic. Surely the voice didn't mean _her_, did it? Unless saving the Spirit World involved dueling and occasionally kicking ass, she couldn't handle the pressure of it.

The voice continued, exerting a feeling of soothing over Renei.

_She is connected with the Spirit World and her pure heart can drive back the evil that threatens us. However, she is still young and does not yet have the courage she needs to face this evil alone. While not as powerful as she is, __you__also have a soul that is connected to this world. Please go and do whatever you can to aid her._

Renei felt relieved at this clarification, but also a little offended. She wasn't good enough to be a hero, but she could be a sidekick instead, apparently. What if she didn't feel like sticking her neck out for a dream voice? She felt the voice's disappointment, and immediately felt bad. What about her dreams from before, when she'd lived and made friends with duel monsters? If she refused to help, what would happen to them?

A gust of wind blew sand away from one of the dunes, and unveiled the skeleton of a small dragon. The bones were black and the skull had huge empty eye sockets that seemed to stare mournfully up at the sky. It was the skeleton of a Red Eyes Baby Dragon, and Renei wanted to recoil in horror. A wave of sadness came from the voice, and Renei got the feeling that death would probably be preferable to whatever madness would ensue if the darkness wasn't stopped.

_This girl will need your support if she is to succeed. You have faced many dangers before and will face far worse in the days to come. She has not, and without you, may succumb to agents of evil before she wins the chance to save the Spirit World._

Renei could sense the truth in the voice's words. Even if she wasn't the one who would ultimately save the Spirit World, she was still important to its survival. If there was something she could do to help, she would do her best.

Suddenly, she felt her consciousness being pulled away. The apocalyptic scene vanished, replaced by the forest. The voice strained to impart its final words to her.

_Remember… Together… Protect this world from the evil that threatens to destroy it...!_

Renei's consciousness slammed back into her own body, and she gasped, bolting upright on the mattress. She was covered in cold sweat, heart beating wildly, and she felt like crying with sorrow and screaming with terror all at the same time. The violent mixture of emotions within her was almost too much to handle, and when she looked at the foot of the mattress to find support from Crow, he was gone.

"Morning, Renei!"

She spun around at the cheery voice to see Itsuki sitting on the computer chair, gripping the front edge of the seat and kicking his dangling feet. When he saw the sweat on her face and in her hair, his face became concerned.

"Whoa, you're sweating like crazy! Are you okay?!"

Renei took a few deep breaths to calm herself, then nodded, trying to smile reassuringly. Itsuki didn't look convinced, and asked, "Are you sure?"

"Yeah. I'll be fine. I just had a weird dream, that's all."

He watched her before nodding uncertainly. "Well, if you say so… Don't push yourself too hard, okay?"

That got a genuine grin out of her at the ridiculousness of a little kid worrying over her, and she said wryly, "I won't, Itsuki. Where's Crow?"

Itsuki reached behind him and used the desk to start spinning himself around on the creaky old chair. "Crow? He's been out since early this morning. He's not back yet."

Renei frowned at this. Where had he gone? Why was Itsuki in here instead? What time was it? She didn't feel groggy and surly like she normally did when waking up in the morning. Did that mean she'd slept into the afternoon?

"Crow got us to watch over you while you slept before he left. It's my turn, but since you're awake, I guess we're all done. Hey, wanna duel?" Itsuki stopped spinning and looked at her with an eager, hopeful expression. She found her brush and began running it through her hair before saying, "Maybe later. I have to go find Crow."

Itsuki's face fell, and he went back to spinning on the chair. Renei put her hairbrush on a shelf and waved goodbye to the boy before walking out of the shack.

As soon as she stepped out, though, she heard a familiar voice call to her from the right.

"Yo, Renei! Finally awake, I see."

She turned to find Crow approaching with a grin. He put his hands behind his head and said, "You looked like you were sleeping pretty heavy there. You okay? You're not feelin' sick, are ya?"

Renei looked at him seriously and shook her head. "No, but I… I had a strange dream."

He stopped and looked at her quizzically. "You had a weird dream? What about?"

She ran her hands through her hair and said, "Well, it wasn't a dream, really. I went to the Spirit World, which is where all the duel monsters live. It's kind of parallel to this world, but most people can't get to it because it's separate. I've been there before, except I thought I was just dreaming, but this time was different. There was a voice that told me I had to find a girl, or both worlds would be destroyed, and…"

Her voice trailed off as she saw that Crow was looking at her strangely, and it hit her how crazy she sounded.

"So… It wasn't a dream…? I'm confused, what's the Spirit World?"

* * *

><p>Divine Sayer prowled through the streets of Satellite, biting his thumb in frustration. The gang that he'd gone through to find test subjects had suddenly vanished, and the few psychics he'd sent to investigate had come running back to the Arcadia Movement, crying pathetically about how they'd been harassed by some street thugs. He had been forced to come himself and investigate, only to find that some gang called the Enforcers had taken over his suppliers' territory and scattered the members. Tracking them down had been a futile effort so far, and he was about to rip his hair out over the setback to his plans.<p>

As he walked, he passed a group of children playing games and a pair of teenagers chatting on the street. The girl was talking quickly, and as he turned the corner, he distinctly heard the words 'Spirit World' and froze. Could she perhaps know something that could further his schemes?

He ducked around the corner and listened hard. The girl started explaining how she'd previously visited the Spirit World and how she'd received a vision about impending destruction of both it and the human world the previous night. The boy listened intently, nodding once in a while, and when the girl had finished her explanation, he spoke.

"Hm… That _is_ a pretty weird dream. I wonder if it's some kind of message or somethin'."

The girl's face fell, and Divine immediately saw that there was an opportunity here for him. He pulled the Mind Control spell card from his deck and used it as a focus, reaching out with his mind to guide the boy's response. His hopes rose as the boy said musingly, "The Spirit World… Meh, it's probably just a dream. There's no 'world crisis' goin' on!"

_She might be an important clue in this Spirit World puzzle._ He studied the girl critically. She was rail thin from a lifetime of living on the streets, and though her clothes were clean compared to the surrounding area, they were still obviously scrounged from ruins somewhere. _Not quite what I expected, though…_

As the girl sighed and nodded agreement, Divine could sense with his psychic powers that she was lying to the boy. Whatever she had experienced, she believed it was real, but was unwilling to try to force the boy to see her side of things right then. Instead, she asked for his interpretation of the dreams. Divine tuned out the boy's answer and continued to think.

_This could be just the chance I was looking for… I'll have to capture her and do some research._

* * *

><p>"Anyway, there sure are a lot of Securities around here recently. I don't know if they're after us or not, but I wouldn't get too close to 'em if I were you."<p>

Renei nodded agreement with Crow's statement. It was disappointing that he didn't believe her about the Spirit World, but it _did_ sound pretty crazy. If their positions were reversed, she'd have probably felt the same way he did right now.

"We can go visit Kiryu after things cool down a bit, but I don't even know if there's anything we can do..."

Renei looked at Crow squarely and said, "I'm not going to see him. You do what you want, but there's no way I can look at him after what he's done."

There was a moment of hurt on Crow's face as he looked down, though she couldn't tell what it was for. Instead of pushing the issue more, he added, "There's also some rumors about weird guys from the mainland roaming around. We'll have to be a lot more careful."

"Got it." Renei heard one of the kids shout in delight and glanced over to see them playing as usual. The little snots might drive her nuts, but sometimes it seemed like they had life figured out more than she did. They probably didn't have spirit voices telling them to go do things or friends who were in jail for killing Securities officers. They were just able to enjoy themselves, even among the ruins of the B.A.D Area, with nothing more than bits of garbage and crumbling buildings as their toys and their playground.

Crow broke her out of her thoughts with a light tap on the shoulder with his fist and a cocky grin, saying, "Stay sharp." Renei glanced at him, giving him a little half smile before he walked into the shack.

A man came around the corner and headed straight for her. He had red hair that flipped up and back in a cowlick, and wore clothes that immediately marked him as being a mainlander. She grew tense as he approached. It was obvious that he was trying to look friendly, but something about his eyes made her go cold. They were dangerous, and every instinct warned her against him. Besides, what mainlander in their right mind would come to the B.A.D. Area? It wasn't exactly a place famous for its sights.

He held out his hand for her to shake and said in what he must have thought to be a genial manner, "Nice to meet you. I'm Divine Sayer of the Arcadia Movement. I'd like to talk to you for a moment. Do you have a few minutes?"

Renei didn't extend her hand to shake his, and a flash of annoyance crossed Sayer's face before he lowered his hand. The mask of buddy-buddy-ness returned, though, and he tried to reassure her.

"Don't worry. I'm not going to harm you. I know you've heard the rumors going around about us, but trust me. I'm not anyone to be scared of in any way."

Immediately, alarms went off in her mind, telling her to get the fuck out of there. This man had been spying on her, and for a moment, Renei thought she sensed a hint of something like the waves of emotion the voice from her dream had used coming from him, only it was much less benevolent.

_Only… The kids are still out here, and Itsuki and Crow are inside… If I run, he might not follow._

He looked at her and said more coolly, "I told you exactly who I was, did I not?" He smiled, but his eyes remained dangerous. "So, what do you say? Will you trust me?"

Renei backed up a step, easing into a defensive stance. "Nope. I don't find guys who creep on girls from around the corner particularly trustworthy. Your hair's stupid anyway."

Divine dropped his amiable facade and said with a frown, "I see…" Sighing, he reached into his vest, and Renei readied herself to spring at him. He continued to speak as he pulled something small out of an inner pocket.

"In that case, I have no choice but to take you by force!"

His hand suddenly snapped out, holding a card, and Renei was struck with an invisible force that stabbed into her mind, giving her a blinding headache. She could hear Divine say, "I didn't want it to come to this, but I suppose this is how it must be." She put her hands to the sides of her head and struggled to run away, to attack, to do _something_. Instead, the invisible control enveloped her mind and forced her will into a tiny corner where she could only watch helplessly. She saw Divine's face twist into a malevolent grin and he said, "Stop trying to resist." Then he glanced around quickly and muttered quietly, "I should wrap this up quickly. I can't afford for my work to be exposed prematurely…"

Renei seized upon his moment of inattention and struck out with her will at the controlling force, attempting to take back her mind. More blinding pain lanced through her skull, and she nearly dropped to her knees before being forced to stand up. Her will was forced into an even smaller corner as Divine said sardonically, "You should be proud! You will be the recipient of my powerful brainwashing techniques." He turned away and began walking, and Renei felt her body move to follow. Despair flooded her as she was made to leave everything she'd ever known, unable to resist.

* * *

><p>Renei suddenly found herself in the haze again, stunned by all the memories she'd just relived. After a year of having no past, she remembered <em>everything!<em> Crow, Yusei, Jack, the kids, living in Satellite, _conquering _Satellite, being kidnapped by Divine…

Rage filled her at that last thought, and she looked around for a way out of the haze so that she could give Divine _exactly_ what he deserved after taking her whole goddamn life from her. As she searched, she heard Seria say, "Master Sayer, the subject is awake now!"

_Well, shit, that's fucking __news__ to me, Seria! Here I thought I was still in a coma and under the control of Mister Divine Sayer!_

"We're going to need a more powerful regiment of brainwashing if the subject is to do our bidding. In order to strengthen the resistance when coming into contact with close friends…"

Divine's voice was cold, but Renei heard something else underneath it. Was there fear there?

Renei struggled to move toward their voices. There was resistance, something pushing back against her hard, but she gritted her teeth and continued forward.

_Divine, I'm gonna rip out your throat and ram all those cockslimed lies down into the gap until it comes out your ass. Then I'm going to take your precious little Arcadia Movement and burn it to the ground._

As she continued to push towards their voices, she began to feel her body. Triumphantly, she fought to open her eyes. Her eyelids fluttered, and she caught glimpses of Divine standing over her. He flinched backward, exclaiming, "What?! The effect is wearing off?!" Then he whirled to Seria, saying agitatedly, "Speed up the process! If the subject breaks free…"

Renei tried to lift her hand. It was so _heavy_, and only a finger twitched. This lack of response from her body was maddening, but even this little success gave her the strength to keep trying. Divine could not control her anymore. He would never control her again, not if she had anything to say about it.

Divine noticed her efforts and turned pale. "Things could get very messy! Increase the output! Make sure the brainwashing is never again reversed!"

Seria's voice was slightly hysterical as she said, "Sir! The subject's life signs are too weak! It's dangerous!"

That surprised Renei and she lost a bit of headway against the force that was pushing her away from controlling her own body. When Divine responded that he didn't care about the danger, that gave her another burst of furious energy to fight, but the force was pushing her harder down into the dark haze. Her eyelids slid closed again, and she kept sliding deeper and deeper back into unconsciousness. Seria's voice echoed from far away, still frantic.

"The subject's lost consciousness! It might become just like that time with that boy! Stopping the brainwashing!"

Renei felt a little hint of gratitude. She'd never expected Seria to defy Divine in order to save somebody's life. Seria had no reason to do so. She and Renei hadn't been friends even in the loosest sense of the term, so it was touching that she'd risk her position and possibly her life for an amnesiac girl who wasn't even a Psychic Duelist.

Divine's voice also echoed, though it was more faint than Seria's had been.

"With this kind of incomplete brainwashing, who _knows_ when it will be reversed?"

Renei grinned wolfishly. _If I get anything to say about it, it'll be reversed as soon as I wake up in my body. You're a dead man, Divine._

* * *

><p>Seria jumped as the sound of alarms suddenly clanged around the lab. She pulled up a new window that showed various security feeds to find a young woman running through the halls of the Arcadia Movement.<p>

"Oh… It appears we have an intruder in our midst…"

Divine growled and said, "I'll handle this personally. In the meantime, place the subject in a cell. We'll continue again after consciousness is regained."

Seria said quietly, "Yes, sir." Once he'd brushed past her and disappeared, she called for some assistance to move the unconscious girl, her emotions turbulent. It took most of the trip to the cell where the subject would be placed for Seria to calm them, though when the men who'd helped carry the girl placed her on the bed and left, she found herself hesitating before leaving. She turned to study the subject's face, and wondered why she felt concern for this stranger. She hadn't felt any for that little boy when they'd been conducting experiments on him.

_Maybe it's because he died._

Seria still had nightmares of the little boy's screams from his final moments. The brainwashing had begun to fail on him too, but she'd followed Divine's orders and kept pushing the boy's mind until it broke beyond repair. He'd gone into cardiac arrest immediately after that and no efforts had been able to revive him.

She sighed and said quietly, "The subject lost consciousness again… If this keeps happening, it could one day be fatal…"

Seria knew she couldn't handle two deaths on her conscience. Tears began to fall from her eyes and she whispered helplessly, "Even if it's for the sake of research, how could this all be worth it? And didn't we say we wouldn't make that same mistake again…?"

Divine had promised that she wouldn't be responsible for another death and that he would not order her do things against her better judgement again. Surely he couldn't have lied to her about that.

_Just like he couldn't have lied to the subject like he has for the past year._

Seria sniffed and wiped her eyes on the cuffs of her sleeves before squaring her shoulders. She wouldn't let this one die, no matter what Divine told her to do. Gingerly, she rested her fingertips on the subject's forehead and reached out with her Psychic ability.

_Please live. Don't give up just yet._

She didn't feel any sort of response from the subject's mind, not even a flicker of activity. Seria didn't know if it was because the subject wasn't a Psychic duelist or if the coma was too deep. She added a feeling of resolve to her message, then broke contact before leaving the cell. It wasn't much, but she didn't know what else to do. Perhaps it would be enough.

She hoped it would be enough.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: Seria shows up again in the 2011 World Championship game, did you guys know? She sends you on a quest to help her find a replacement for Divine to fulfill her desire for a totally dependent relationship where she's yelled at… I mean… Nope, actually, that's exactly what I mean. Poor Seria.**_


	21. So Much Magic

Chapter Three: The Meeting - The Spirit World and New Allies

**So Much Magic**

Once Renei was back in the dark haze, she remembered what she'd been trying to do before unlocking all her memories. She'd been looking for the girl who'd called for help. Turning in the haze, she wondered where she was supposed to look now.

_Would somebody… Somebody, please…_

She froze as the words were spoken. They didn't echo with the same quality as Divine's and Seria's had, and the voice who spoke was the little girl's. Renei strained to figure out where it was coming from, but the haze made it difficult to pinpoint anything.

_I'm being held prisoner in the Spirit World. Please help me…_

Renei wanted to groan with frustration. She hadn't been able to reach the Spirit World in a year of captivity, and now to find out that the little girl was trapped there? She wanted to know what kind of messed-up being would orchestrate a situation like this.

_Somebody… Please listen to me!_

The girl's voice was desperate, and Renei wanted to tell her that it would be alright, that she'd heard the call for help. It was maddening to be unable to do so. She rummaged through all her memories of previous visits to the Spirit World, trying to find the secret of how she'd managed to get there before. The last dream she'd had before being kidnapped by Sayer floated up, and she recalled how she'd been in a similar darkness before being drawn by the mysterious voice into the Spirit World. Maybe if she focused on the sensation of her consciousness floating towards something…

Just like before, her consciousness began to drift in the darkness in a specific direction, slowly at first, then gathering speed. Renei tried not to get distracted by the rush of triumph, and continued to speed along. A pinprick of light appeared, then quickly expanded until it flashed all around her. Suddenly, her consciousness was no longer speeding along, and she sat up with a groan, hand on her forehead.

There was a murmur of leaves as they were brushed by the wind. Under her fingers, she could feel soft grass and the slight give of deep soil. Opening her eyes, Renei saw an enormous tree that seemed to stretch up forever before spreading out in a massive green canopy. She looked around to see countless shades of green and brown. On the ground were clusters of colorful flowers among the soft clumps of grass. She slowly got to her feet, mouth open in awe.

_I… I did it… I'm in the Spirit World!_

Renei gave a victorious whoop and punched the air, laughing. Slowly, she turned in a circle, still grinning like a maniac and taking in her surroundings in more detail. As she did, her smile faded. She seemed to be in a little gully that was blocked off at one end by the huge tree. The sides of the gully were steep and just a bit too high for her to pull herself up out of. Plus, they were edged with big bushes.

"Oh great. I guess I'm stuck here. I fucking make it to the Spirit World on purpose for the first time ever, and I manage to land in some asscrack that I can't get out of!"

As she completed her turn, she noticed a little seedling of a tree next to a funky-looking blue staff with golden prongs at its head. The staff looked like it had been stabbed into the ground so it would stand up by itself and was about two-thirds of her height. Renei realized that she hadn't heard any sounds other than the breeze as it passed through leaves since she'd arrived. Weren't forests supposed to have birds and stuff? She began to glance around warily, remembering the warning the mysterious voice had given her a year ago. This was a great place to be ambushed, and she had no idea if the Spirit World had bears or wolves or other wild animals. As she thought of the Beast decks she'd gone up against in the past, she decided it was very likely that there were dangerous predators around. Glancing again at the staff, she decided to take it for a weapon. Those prongs would be good at keeping oncoming enemies at bay for a while.

Gripping the staff with both hands, she yanked hard until it popped out of the ground. A weird pressure suddenly made her stumble back a step, then something rushed up out of the ground and slammed against her. She fell back with a cry, and a big gust of wind knocked her down completely, stunning her for a moment. When Renei managed to get a hold of herself, she found herself staring at another huge tree where the little seedling had been a minute ago. She looked down at the staff, which lay under her hand.

_It… made the tree grow… No, that's not right… It made the tree shrink and when I took the staff away…_

Renei got to her feet, holding the staff more gingerly now. Obviously, the Spirit World played by different rules than her world did. The staff was magical and she had no idea what it was capable of. She turned to look at the tree blocking the end of the gully, then looked back at the staff speculatively.

_If I put the staff on that tree and keep it there, maybe it'll shrink down too, and I can get out._

Warily, she touched the end of the staff to the tree, then cringed away, expecting another catastrophic change that ended in her getting knocked on her ass. Nothing happened. She opened one eye, wondering why it hadn't worked.

_Wait… The staff was jammed pretty hard into the ground. Maybe I have to do the same thing._

Gripping the staff hard, she raised it up and rammed the end into the ground so that the end was buried completely. The weird pressure returned and she flinched away, shutting her eyes. There was a clap of air and then the pressure dissipated. When she looked back, the huge tree had been replaced with a little sapling.

She threw her hands up and yelled, "It worked!" Then she looked for the staff, but realized that it had vanished.

"Fuck!"

She had no weapon now. Why had the staff disappeared? She scowled at the little sapling as if she could scare it into revealing what had happened to the staff, but nothing happened. Sighing, she walked forward, deciding it was better to keep exploring rather than wasting time trying to figure out magic stuff.

Before long, she heard the sound of rushing water and something wooden creaking continuously. The trees that surrounded her blocked her view and made her nervous, but she felt a little comforted by a break in the weird silence of the forest. When she made her way into the clearing, she saw a waterfall crashing down into a fast-running river that flowed underneath a water wheel. On the other side of the river was a large wall with an open archway leading inside. She could see buildings beyond the wall whose roofs advanced upward as if they were built on a slope or got progressively taller as they got farther from the wall. Buildings meant people, and she knew more about how to survive in there than how to survive in a forest. As she got closer to the river, she saw that there had once been bridges spanning it, but for some reason, they'd been destroyed. It couldn't be because the river had washed them away, since parts of the bridges still stood against the rushing whitewaters. The river was impossible to cross otherwise. Had the people inside the wall destroyed the bridges in order to keep something out?

_But then why is that archway still open?_

She looked around more and saw exact copies of the staff she'd used to shrink the tree were scattered around. Excited, she gathered them up, feeling better now that she had weapons of a sort.

_I'd feel better with my duel disk and cuffs, but I don't know if there's stuff like that here in the Spirit World. Do duel monsters duel like we do? I guess if there's Machine-type monsters, then they could be able to build duel disks. But what about all the magic and stuff? They wouldn't need technology like we do, I bet, not if they had magic…_

Renei shook her head, mentally kicking herself to keep from getting lost in thought about how the Spirit World worked. She was here for a reason! She had to find out where the little girl was being held prisoner and rescue her! To do that, she had to get across the river somehow to get into the city before her and start gathering information. She looked at the river, then at the staves she held speculatively.

_These things reversed the growth of that tree… Could they reverse the flow of a river?_

One of the broken bridges jutted out close to the waterfall, so Renei made her way onto it. The roar of the waterfall was loud, leaving very little room for her thoughts. Her hair and Arcadia uniform was soon damp from the fine mist that was thrown up by the force of the water falling onto the bed of the river. Blinking against the stinging water droplets, Renei lifted one of the staves over her head and threw it as straight as she could at the waterfall. The downpour of water snatched the staff and tried to carry it downstream, but the prongs got trapped in between a couple of rocks. The other end of the staff could just be seen peeking above the rushing white water. The weird pressure returned, followed by a deep bass rumbling. Then, the water reversed direction and jumped back up the waterfall until nothing remained but wet rocks, broken bridges, and a motionless waterwheel.

Quickly, Renei left the bridge she'd been standing on and made her way across the empty riverbed, eager to get into the town. It was then that she realized why there was a waterwheel in the first place. An enormous, medieval-looking door had slid down as soon as the waterwheel stopped turning. Renei vented her frustration with a flurry of cursing, punctuated with a couple of kicks that did little more than hurt her feet on the very heavy, very solid-looking door. Obviously, it wouldn't open unless the river was running, but the only way she could get the river to run again was by moving the staff she'd used earlier. If she stood in the streambed to do that, though, the river would probably sweep her away and drown her as soon as she moved the staff. The only way to safely move the staff would be to stand on the bridge near the waterfall like she had before, and that would leave her without a way to cross the river once again.

There was another staff laying on the ground nearby, and Renei paused in her tantrum to wonder why there were so many magical artifacts just laying around like garbage when they were obviously still able to work. Such a waste of a thing in such nice condition irked her street sensibilities. In Satellite, everything was used and re-used until it disintegrated into dust, as was natural for a place that was used solely for dumping the mainland's garbage. People in Neo Domino City often threw away perfectly serviceable objects, and those were always nabbed by one resident of Satellite or another. Yusei had built no less than three D-Wheels from parts the mainland had deemed junk, and repaired countless hordes of other things like duel disks and televisions for other people. She _tsk_ed in annoyance and picked up the staff, then returned to the dilemma at hand.

Her eyes fell on the remains of a bridge that stuck out from this side of the river, and she wandered over to inspect the damage. It was obviously recent, and Renei wondered if she could use the magic of the staves to fix it. Laying one down, she hefted the other experimentally before wedging the end firmly into the splintered wood at the end of the broken bridge. Again, she felt the weird pressure, but instead of flinching away, she gritted her teeth and held onto the staff with grim determination. As she watched, pieces of the bridge came flying back up the river bed, thunking into place until the bridge seemed to be putting itself back together. The weird pressure grew as the bridge continued to repair itself, and once the bridge was whole, the pressure dissipated. The staff vanished, too, and she wondered again why it had done that.

_Maybe it ran out of power?_

She picked up the last staff and headed back to the bridge she'd been on previously. When she attempted to move the staff that had reversed the flow of the river, she discovered that she didn't have the proper leverage to get it free from the rocks it was trapped between. With a growl of frustration, she picked up the last staff with the intention of using it to get the other one free. This effort seemed doomed to fail too, as the staves seemed to actively repel each other, but Renei was not about to give up so easily. With a growl, she pushed against the invisible force pushing apart the staves until finally, she managed to brush them together for a brief moment.

There was a loud crack and the staves turned into a fine dust that floated away on the breeze. Renei heard rumbling and suddenly wondered if it was a good idea to be standing on a broken bridge right under a waterfall that had been held back with magic. As the rumbling grew in intensity, Renei scrambled off the bridge just before a wall of water plunged over the edge of the cliff and slammed back down into the river bed. Water leaped and sprayed as it hit rocks and rushed violently downriver once more. Soon, the river was back in full force, catching the water wheel and putting it in motion again. She watched as the huge door slowly lifted until the archway was once more open, then looked to see if her magically repaired bridge had withstood the force of the water. It had, and she whooped triumphantly. She'd figured it out! Smugly, she crossed the bridge and entered the town's walls.

Renei had expected the little town to have people in it, but soon realized the place was just as deserted as the forest had been. There was nobody in the bizarrely tidy streets and neatly arranged buildings. As she explored, she saw dozens more of the magical staves and frowned. What had happened here? Who had made all those staves? What had they been used for?

"Hey! Over here! Hide over here!"

The urgently hissed words made Renei look up to see a small child in a pointy purple hat beckoning to her. He had long hair, held what looked like a branch with some sort of sphere set in the top, and kept glancing up the stairs, a worried expression on his little face, and Renei followed his gaze to see two monkeys.

She blinked, then rubbed her eyes. When she looked again, they were still monkeys. They were wearing an odd combination of armor and clothing, and seemed to be conferring about where to look next. Renei decided it would be best to join the little kid in his hiding spot and ask questions later. The kid pulled her behind some stacked crates and gestured for her to crouch down. It seemed she did so just in time, because soon after, she heard the sound of steps pounding in an odd pattern down the stairs. Both of them waited for several heartbeats after the monkeys had passed before the little kid poked his head out to check if the coast was clear. Seeing that it was, he turned to her with a sigh of relief.

"Phew! That was a close call. They almost found us!" He grinned at her.

Renei just stared at the little kid, nonplussed. Too many questions wanted to be answered and she didn't know where to start. Fortunately, the kid answered one right off the bat.

"I'm Torunka."

He studied her with interest, then added, "You're a human, huh?" When she nodded, he smiled and said in a lofty fashion, "You must be real special then. If you're here, it means you were chosen."

Renei asked, "Who are the monkeys?"

Torunka's smile fell a little bit and his voice held a touch of bitterness as he said, "Those goons back there belong to Zeman the Ape King. He controls this land. Zeman has been catching many a spirit with a curse from a Minus Staff." He gestured to himself. "I tried to escape, but I got grazed by the curse. That's why I'm short and ugly now."

Renei raised her eyebrows skeptically. He seemed like a pretty decent-looking little kid to her, though he could do with a different outfit. The hat, too, probably should go. She was about to offer some reassurance that he'd grow taller, but he kept talking.

"I really am a handsome and accomplished Spellcaster! I know it doesn't seem so anymore…"

She sputtered with laughter and clapped a hand over her mouth, drawing Torunka's attention back to her. He glared at her and demanded, "What's with that look? You don't believe me, do you?" He gestured wildly, waving his stick at the area around them while saying angrily, "Open your eyes! Just take a look at this hollow shell of a town! The proof's right there!"

Still grinning, Renei shook her head and said, "Calm down, I believe you there."

Now Torunka looked at her with a confused expression on his face. "What? You weren't doubting that part? Then what?"

She gestured to him and said, "That thing you said about being a Spellcaster. You're just a kid, you can't have accomplished anything _that_ impressive yet. I bet you're still in training."

His face darkened and he said shrilly, "So you don't think I could have been a handsome and accomplished spellcaster? Is that it?" He stomped his foot angrily and added, "Kids these days! They've got no respect."

That made Renei laugh again, earning more foot-stomping from Torunka. He eventually snapped, "Fine! You don't believe me? Then take a look at some of my magic!"

He raised his stick, beginning to chant. The air around him stirred, making his hair and his clothes start flapping. The sphere in his stick began to glow until it was incandescent, and Renei watched, transfixed, as Torunka's feet left the ground and glowing lines appeared. They formed some sort of circle inscribed with unreadable script. His chanting began to echo and Torunka slowly brought his stick- no, it was a staff- in front of him to grip it in both of his little hands before tipping it forward so that the orb pointed at Renei. She suddenly wondered what exactly Torunka was going to do and began to regret laughing at him, no matter how funny he seemed.

Light coalesced around the sphere, then exploded outward in a blinding flash that passed harmlessly through Renei and the surrounding buildings. A small, square object appeared in the air and began to drift downward. She held out her hands to catch it and realized it was her deck holster.

Torunka's voice was smug. "Perhaps you could use a little something like this right now?"

Renei gripped the deck holster hard and tried to suppress the sudden welling of emotion that threatened to spill out into tears. She could _feel_ her cards in there, ready and welcoming. After a year of being forced to use unfamiliar decks, it was overwhelming to hold something that was such an integral part of her again. Never before had she truly appreciated how important just having a deck of her own was. Even when Securities had confiscated her deck, she hadn't really worried about it. Back then, she'd felt secure in the knowledge that eventually, she'd get it back or create a new one. Now that she'd spent a year without memories, without being able to attach any significance to the cards she dueled with, she realized that it mattered a lot to have a deck she'd built herself.

Torunka tapped his staff impatiently to interrupt her musings and said, "So! Now do you believe me?"

She nodded, smiling gratefully. He shuffled his feet and didn't meet her gaze. Hesitantly, he said, "The thing is, the cards I just called forth can only be used in this world. If you don't have them all in the real world, then you've got to go find them there yourself."

Renei furrowed her eyebrows in confusion. "You can't just magic up some more? Or call them forth or whatever?"

His fidgeting became more pronounced. "Truth is… I can't use magic so well with this tiny body. I just don't have the confidence…" Then he looked up at her hopefully. "Will you duel with me so I can check and see if my magic still works?"

She nodded, glad for the chance to duel now that her memories had returned. Eagerly, her fingers reached to draw the deck out, but then she stopped.

"Uh… Torunka, I actually shared a huge pool of cards with a bunch of little kids that my friend and I watched over. I changed my deck a lot depending on my mood. How does this work?"

Torunka looked surprised, then stared at the deck holster intently. His face wrinkled in concentration, and a tiny version of the glowing circle that had appeared before appeared on the holster, spinning slowly. Then it disappeared and Torunka's face cleared as he said, "Oh, that's easy enough! Just visualize the deck you want to use sitting inside your box there and it'll appear. When you want to change it, just put the deck back inside, close the lid, and visualize a different one."

Tentatively, she pictured the last dragon deck she'd constructed before being kidnapped and hadn't gotten to test out yet. For a moment, she felt like she could _feel_ the cards shifting inside the deck holster before finally settling into place. When she pulled it out and checked through it, she was surprised to see it had worked. All the dragons were there just as she had pictured them. Excited, she sat down and began to shuffle the cards, preparing to set up a floor game.

"What are you doing, girl?"

She looked up at Torunka, who was staring at her as if she was doing something weird. She frowned back at him and said, "You said you wanted to duel. I don't have a duel disk, so we'll have to play freehand."

He scowled at her and thumped his staff hard on the ground. "You mean humans duel like the Machines do? With their fancy gizmos that make light projections?"

Renei had no idea what he was talking about. Torunka started muttering, then began making complicated movements with the end of his staff as if he was sketching something out in the air. When he was done, he said, "Think of this duel disk thing of yours." She did so, and it materialized where he'd done the air sketching.

"That's impressive." She put it on her arm and put her deck in the deck slot. The disk lit up properly and she asked, "You ready?"

In response, he held his hand up at his side, palm up, and a deck appeared, floating above it in midair. With a gesture, he sent it to rest in the air and made five cards float in front of him so he could examine them. The lofty tone in his voice was back as he said, "Back in the day, I was pretty hot stuff! So there's no need to go easy on me, okay?"

Renei drew her first hand and grinned. "Don't worry about that."

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: So duel monsters duel each in the Spirit World. Machine-types use light projections like the humans do and Spellcasters use magic and create illusions. Beast-types, Beast-Warrior-types, and Warriors set up floor or table games and use their imaginations. If you've got other ideas about how they duel, share them in a review.**_


	22. Here Kitty Kitty

Chapter Three: The Meeting - The Spirit World and New Allies

**Here Kitty Kitty**

It was surprising how thick and tall the forest got so close to the town. Renei had never seen so much greenery in her life. When she asked Torunka how big the forest was, he said it went on for miles and miles in most directions. It boggled her mind to think so much forest could exist. Could this forest be as big as Satellite? She tried to imagine what it would be like to live among enormous trees and stones that seemed like they could see you. Did one get used to that creepy-crawly feeling on the back of their neck?

Despite the environment being so alien, she felt more comfortable in the forest than she had in the empty town. The town had been creepy because it had been missing its vital pieces of people and noise. In the forest, she couldn't be disturbed by the absence of things that were supposed to be there because Renei didn't know what belonged in it and what didn't. Even the hushed silence and the feeling of being watched didn't bother her. Much.

They traveled along a path that had been cut into the ground and Torunka informed them that the spirit monsters had worked to build paths like these through the forest so as to disturb it as little as possible. Tree roots poked through the walls of the path, and small bushes clung to the dark soil caught in between the roots. Overhead, the canopy grew thicker and darker until they could no longer see the blue sky beyond, and the air grew damp and cold. They began to see mushrooms growing near the roots of trees and moss coating boulders in thick carpets. Everything kept increasing in size until the tree trunks were wide enough for even the largest Securities transport to drive though and the mushrooms were big enough for the shack she shared with Crow in Satellite to squat under.

Finally, they reached a clearing where the path split off in several directions. Renei spotted a Minus Staff sticking out of the ground and frowned. Torunka's face fell and he ran up to it.

"Oh, no, it looks as if Zeman's henchmen managed to make it all the way here, too!"

Ruka asked, "Do you think they went after Regulus, too?"

Torunka studied the staff, rubbing his chin thoughtfully. "Do you mean like they kidnapped you?"

Renei shrugged, and said, "It makes sense. It's important for Ruka to go meet Regulus, right? To help this Ancient Fairy Dragon or whatever? If they had both of them prisoner, they could make sure neither of them could ever meet."

Torunka stiffened at that. "Surely they can't have succeeded! Why, Regulus is _way_ too powerful to be captured by those goons!"

"I hope you're right, Torunka…" Ruka's face was worried as she spoke, and Renei thought she must be imagining going back to Zeman's castle in an attempt to find this Regulus. She decided that they had to exhaust their options out here in the forest first before attempting to get back into that particular beehive again. With a decisive air, she handed Ruka the staff that Torunka had given her and yanked the Minus Stave out of the ground.

"Torunka, do you know exactly where Regulus would be in this forest?" Renei fixed the magician with a stare, not willing to tolerate any of his usual exaggeration and bullshit. He seemed to sense that and nodded quickly, then immediately set off. He led them through what seemed like a maze, and Renei quickly became disoriented. They crossed over enormous mushroom caps and clambered down empty river beds. As they continued to travel, they spotted more Minus Staves scattered here and there. Sometimes, Torunka would direct Renei or Ruka to take one and use it on some plant or mushroom that was blocking the path only he seemed able to see.

They reached another clearing with a flat outcropping of rock in the center. There was nobody there, and Renei began to scowl. If Torunka had gotten lost again…

An ear-shattering roar broke the silence of the forest and a huge beast leaped out from the trees at the opposite end of the clearing to charge straight for them. Renei, Ruka, and Torunka screamed as the creature slowed and began stalking toward them, a deep growl rumbling the air around them. With shock, Renei realized she was looking at a massive white lion with a single horn rising out of its forehead. It was covered in gleaming silver armor trimmed with gold and set with enormous clear blue stones and looked extremely menacing as it advanced on them.

Torunka stepped forward hesitantly, fear making him tremble like a little leaf. He stammered, "R-Regulus?!"

The lion stopped and bared its teeth, staring at Torunka with deadly intent. Renei found she couldn't move and her heart thundered in her ears. Nobody had bothered to tell her that Regulus was a pants-shittingly huge lion that seemed quite happy to eat them. Ruka apparently had more courage, because she stepped forward and said, "So, you're Regulus?! Then please listen to me!"

The lion turned its glare on her, and Ruka gulped visibly. Remarkably, her voice came out only a little higher than normal as she said, "I made a promise to the Ancient Fairy Dragon to protect this world. That's why I came here!"

Something passed over the lion's eyes, but it went away too quickly for Renei to identify what it was. Torunka seemed to have been encouraged by Ruka's bravery and gestured to Ruka with his staff, saying excitedly, "This girl came from another world far away to rescue the Ancient Fairy Dragon!"

They all stumbled back a step as Regulus unleashed another angry roar. Then he said, "_Enough_ with your lies! You cannot fool me!" He advanced a step, snarling, "You're only looking to use the powers of the Ancient Fairy Dragon for evil!"

Suddenly, he leaped at them. Torunka raised his staff, and Renei and Ruka were shoved out of Regulus's path by an invisible force. Regulus landed to one side and spun to see Torunka scrambling away like mad. With a roar, the lion began to chase the little magician as Ruka screamed, "Torunka!" The girls heard Torunka's voice drift back, words tumbling desperately out of his mouth.

"Oh, most great and noble Regulus! We humbly beseech you! Please give us your time!"

The lion hesitated, an expression of shock crossing his face. Again, Renei saw something pass across his eyes, but then the rage returned and Regulus growled, "_Fool!_ Do you mock me?"

Ruka's face fell, and she turned to Renei. "It's no use talking to him! It's like he's hearing the opposite of everything we say!"

Torunka raced by, with Regulus in hot pursuit, and Renei saw something sticking out of the top of the armor covering the lion's hind leg. She pointed at him excitedly, and said, "Maybe he is! Look!"

Ruka squinted, then grabbed Renei's arm in equal excitement. "Renei! He's got a Minus Staff clamped to his leg! Now I get it! Because of that, he must only be able to hear the opposite of whatever we say to him!"

Torunka exclaimed, "Oh! Well done, Ruka! In that case…"

The little magician spun to face the lion and began to shout, "Regulus is a smelly klutz! He's a crybaby and my housecat could take him on!"

Regulus pulled up short, but as Torunka continued to hurl insults at him, snarled and said, "Did you _really_ think that _pitiful_ flattery would work on me?!"

He lunged at Torunka, who just barely managed to dodge the lion's lethal jaws and scrambled away again, screaming, "Quick! Do something!"

Ruka dithered for a moment, then asked desperately, "Wh-what should we do?" Her hands rose in a helpless gesture, and Renei saw she still held the staff that Torunka had given her earlier.

"Ruka, the staff! It can cancel out the power of the other one!"

A light came on in Ruka's eyes, and she said, "You're right! Negative times negative equals plus! Renei, distract him with a duel and I'll use Torunka's staff against the Minus Staff clamped to his leg!"

Renei stared at the little girl in astonishment. "Wait, you want me to do _what_?" Was she insane? No way was a lion going to stop his rampage just to duel!

"Please, Renei! If you challenge him, he has to duel! It's a law of the Spirit World, like gravity!"

Renei still thought the little girl was crazy, but moved before common sense and fear could freeze her into immobility again, shouting, "Regulus! Turn around and duel me, you big cat! Come on, I challenge you!"

The lion had cornered Torunka, but froze. He seemed to struggle for a moment to continue going after the little magician, then whirled on her.

"You insolent buffoons think you're a match for me, do you?!"

Renei hurriedly activated her duel disk and drew her first five cards, saying, "Hell yeah I am. Now come on!"

Regulus crouched as if to spring, then roared. A deck materialized much like when Torunka had summoned his own, and cards sped out of it to hover in midair.

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: Look, a duel! I'll pop back in here to let you know when it's over.**_

* * *

><p>Renei drew first, studied her hand and scowled.<p>

_Two low-level dragons, a trap, two spells, and one high-level dragon. Not the worst, but not the best, either._

"I set this monster in face-down defense position and another face-down. Your move, kitty."

The image of two face-downs materialized in front of her. Regulus snarled at the diminutive name as a card whipped out from his deck to join the five already floating in front of his face.

"I activate the Field Spell Forest, then summon Chaos-End Master!"

Two cards floated out from the six in front of his face, expanding and transforming as they did so. One turned into the male winged warrior and the other seemed to sink into the ground. Regulus bared his teeth in what looked suspiciously like a grin and said, "Chaos-End Master, attack that pathetic face-down monster."

The winged warrior sprang forward with impossible speed, striking at the image of the face-down card on her side of the field. It exploded with a sheet of fire that sent the warrior tumbling backwards through the air, and revealed the heavily-armored Flamvell Guard coiled in a tight ball. The flames eased down to swirl around the dragon in a defensive sphere, and Regulus snarled as his Life Points dropped.

"Do not think you will continue to escape harm so easily, _cub_. I place two face-downs and end my turn."

Renei drew, feeling a little of the fear dribble away as she got began to get caught up in the duel. Dueling provided everyone with pretty equal footing. Even she had the chance to beat a magical lion in a duel.

"I activate Stamping Destruction and target that face-down in the middle. It gets destroyed and you take another 500 points of damage."

The face-down she pointed at shattered into rainbow shards, flying into the lion's face and causing his Life Points to drop again.

"Then I summon Red-Eyes Wyvern and use him to attack your Chaos-End Master!"

The black skeletal wyvern appeared with a screech and spread its wings. With a flap, it rose into the air and dove at the winged warrior, striking and binding like a hawk taking down a pigeon.

Regulus chuckled and said, "I activate Forbidden Chalice so that Chaos-End Master may gain 400 attack. Your wyvern cannot stand against him now!"

As he spoke, the winged warrior threw off Red-Eyes Wyvern and lashed out with a blade made of pure light. The wyvern gave another horrendous screech and disintegrated into glittering dust, and Renei grimaced as she took 100 points of damage. She had nothing left to do this turn, so said, "Alright, kitty, then I end my turn."

Regulus drew and his eyes darted back and forth between the cards. Then he said, "Chaos-End Master will switch to defense and I shall set this card. Then I end my turn." His tail swung back and forth in what looked like irritation a few times as he tilted his head to indicate she could draw.

The card that Renei drew made her scowl again. _Come on, you guys, give me a break. My life may be hanging on you all not screwing me over!_

Of course, the Red Eyes Black Dragon she'd just drawn didn't magically transform into a card that would be more useful at the moment, so she summoned her Masked Dragon in Attack Mode.

_Switching his Chaos-End Master to defense is probably meant to be bait so he can activate that face-down of his. Might as well spring the trap now with cards I can lose rather than later with ones I can't._

Renei ordered the Masked Dragon to attack Chaos-End Master and was mildly surprised when Regulus did nothing more than growl as his winged warrior shattered and disappeared. With a grin, she ended her turn. He didn't do anything other than set another monster face-down before ending his turn again, whiskers twitching

The next card she drew made her wonder if her deck had heard her thoughts, and she activated it, saying, "Guess you can kiss your Field Spell good-bye, kitty-cat. Say hello to my dragon-friendly Mountain." The level of Regulus's growl rose as the trees around them were obscured by the projection of craggy mountains. Renei smiled sweetly at him, saying, "It boosts the attack and defense of Dragons, Winged Beasts, and Thunder monsters by 200. Now my Masked Dragon is going to take out that face-down of yours."

The red and white dragon reared back its head and unleashed a stream of fire on the face-down. It seemed to melt, then suddenly snapped into the shape of the unwelcome Marshmallon. It grinned happily, then ejected a gob of itself at Renei to take her Life Points down by 1000. Regulus chuffed with amusement as she ended her turn, scowling.

"Recall my words about escaping harm, _cub_." Another card floated off the top of Regulus's deck and he chuffed again, saying, "You will mourn your precious Mountain, as I have another Field Spell. I activate Luminous Spark!"

A card from his hand (paw? invisible force that held his cards in midair?) began to glow until the projection of the mountains on the field was washed out. It rose until it hovered over the field, looking like a tiny version of the sun. Regulus grinned, fangs glinting in the bright light, and added, "Give welcome to a familiar face. Come forth, Chaos-End Master."

Again, the winged warrior appeared, nearly incandescent now in the light of Luminous Spark. Regulus snarled a command to attack, and the warrior leaped at her Masked Dragon. Renei smirked, despite taking another hit to her Life Points, and said, "Since you destroyed that dragon in battle, I get to summon another dragon with an Attack of 1500 or less from my deck. I think I'll choose Red-Eyes B. Chick."

A red egg materialized on the field, and it trembled before cracking open. The little black dragon popped its head out and sneezed, a tiny flame shooting out. Chaos-End Master stared impassively at the unimpressive hatchling. Regulus's whiskers twitched again, and he tipped his head, saying, "I am finished."

_You bet you are._ Renei locked gazes with the lion and drew, still smirking, then said, "I think it's time for another member of the Red-Eyes family to come out here. I activate Red-Eyes B. Chick's effect and sacrifice it to special summon Red-Eyes Black Dragon!"

The little black dragon hunched violently, shattering the remains of its egg. Its form began to lose definition as it transformed into something dark and nebulous. It expanded outward in quick, jerking movements and began to reorganize itself into the large, chitinous form of the Red-Eyes Black Dragon. When it was finished re-forming, its eyes gleamed menacingly and it opened its mouth to release a shrill cry.

"Go after that Chaos-End Master, Red Eyes." Renei's gaze was still locked with Regulus's as the dragon casually swiped at the winged warrior, obliterating it and forcing the lion's Life Points to drop to 6600. Regulus lashed his tail as Renei ended her turn.

He drew, and immediately activated the card. It was Lightning Vortex, and Renei rushed to chain Burst Breath. It allowed her to sacrifice a dragon to destroy all monsters on the field with Defense equal to or less than the tribute's Attack. She chose Red-Eyes Black Dragon to sacrifice and was pleased to hear Regulus's snarls of irritation. The lion, having no other moves he could make, ceded the turn to her.

Her happiness continued even though she was unable to Normal Summon anything during her main phase. Regulus finally asked, "And just _what_ has you smirking so insolently, cub?"

She grinned. "Only that when I end my turn, like I am right now, I get to use that Red-Eyes Wyvern's effect. When it's in my graveyard, and I haven't Normal Summoned this turn, I can remove it from play to special summon another dragon in my graveyard with the phrase 'Red-Eyes' in its name so long as it isn't Red-Eyes B. Chick. I think I'll resurrect my Red-Eyes Black Dragon, thank you very much."

The big dragon began rise out of the ground, seeming to pull itself up from the depths of the earth until it stood once more on the field. Regulus's tail whipped angrily, then he turned his glare on his deck, watching the card he drew. Immediately, he set it in face-down defense mode and ended his turn.

Renei drew. "I'm going to summon another Red-Eyes Wyvern, then use it to attack that face-down monster."

The wyvern struck as before, and a hapless X-Saber Airbellum was revealed before being smashed into little pieces. Now Regulus was wide open, and the Red-Eyes Black Dragon dealt a serious blow to his Life Points. The lion's eyes widened in surprise as they fell to 4200, and his whiskers twitched as he said, "Devoid of honor and courtesy you may be, _cub_, but I must concede that you are skilled."

Renei shrugged, but didn't stop grinning as she ended her turn. The lion drew and his eyes grew amused.

"I summon myself to the field in Attack position."

An exact replica of Regulus seemed to split off from his real body and stalk forward, glowering defiantly at Renei's two dragons. Regulus bared his teeth in a grin and said, "I activate my own effect, which is to return a Field Spell in my graveyard to my Deck. Then I attack your pathetic wyvern with myself. I have the attribute of Light, so the Luminous Spark enhances my attack by 500 points."

Renei held up a hand, saying, "Slow down, there, kitty. I have another Burst Breath on the field and guess what? I'm activating it and tributing my Red-Eyes Wyvern to destroy all monsters on the field with defenses less than or equal to its attack of 1800."

Both lions roared angrily as the Red-Eyes Wyvern opened its jaws to shoot forth a dark jet of energy. The copy burst apart into splinters of light along with the wyvern, leaving Red-Eyes Black Dragon unharmed. Regulus began to pace back and forth, tail making furious sweeping motions as he snarled, "My turn is ended! Do your worst, _cub!_"

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: If you were skipping ahead of the duel, go ahead and resume reading.**_

* * *

><p>Renei won quickly after that. As Regulus's Life Points dropped to zero, he gave another ear-splitting roar of fury. Suddenly, Ruka sprung out from behind him, knuckles white as she gripped the blue and silver staff and jabbed it forward. It made contact with the Minus Staff stuck in Regulus's armor, and a blinding flash followed with a deafening crack knocked everybody to the ground.<p>

When the light faded and Renei's ears stopped ringing, she sat up to see Ruka dancing triumphantly, Torunka's staff still in hand. The little girl blurted, "I did it! I got rid of the Minus Staff stuck to Regulus's leg!"

The lion was lying stunned on the ground, allowing Torunka to scramble away and catch his breath. He grinned at the two girls and said, "Well played, Ruka! You, too, Renei!"

Regulus began to stir, and they all backed up a few steps warily. The lion rolled to his feet and shook his head, groaning. In a dazed growl, he asked, "What… what has happened…?"

Torunka gave a huge sigh of relief and sank to the ground, laughing shakily. "I-I feel like my heart's about to explode over here!"

Regulus caught sight of Ruka and he jerked back in surprise. "You…! The young Signer girl... I have been waiting for you to come to this world!"

Ruka laughed with delight. "Regulus! You've regained your senses!" She rushed forward and hugged the lion around his neck, burying her face in his mane. Renei bit back a shout as the big cat rumbled and closed his eyes, seeming to enjoy the little girl's affection. Then he turned his gaze on Renei. His eyes were no longer filled with the deadly hostility of a predator, but were instead fierce and proud. He regarded her for a long moment before speaking.

"You are the one who has a special bond with the Ancient Fairy Dragon…" Regulus dipped his head in a bow and said, "I thank you from the bottom of my heart for guiding this young girl to me."

Renei shrugged, wondering what he meant by a special bond with the Ancient Fairy Dragon. Was that who the mysterious voice had belonged to? "It's all good. I'm just glad you kept from ripping us all apart long enough for us to get rid of that staff on you."

Ruka released the lion's neck as he ducked his head, tail flicking with embarrassment. He said, "Although I was confused from the curse, please, forgive me for thinking of you as enemies."

Torunka walked up to him and shook his finger accusingly at the big cat. "Regulus, I tell you, you gave us quite a fright! I thought we were cat food for sure!" Then he paused, seeming to think things over. "But everything you heard was the opposite of what we really meant. No wonder you got upset!"

Regulus lowered his gaze and hung his head. "I am so ashamed…" Suddenly, a thought seemed to occur to him, and he raised his head slowly to fix Torunka with a glare. "But… if I only heard the opposite meaning…" He began to stalk towards the little magician again, growling suspiciously, "What did you actually say to me before?!"

Torunka gave a start, then laughed nervously. In an obvious attempt to change the subject, he said, "Okay! Now that Regulus is back to normal, we need to rescue the Ancient Fairy Dragon! R-right?"

The lion glared at Torunka for a moment longer before slowly sitting back on his haunches and saying, "Yes. That's it."

Ruka gasped and clutched at her shirt, eyes squeezed shut. Everybody looked at her in surprise, and Renei felt a sense of dread as she watched the little girl. Ruka spoke finally, fear coloring her voice.

"Oh no! I feel the danger closing in on us in the real world!"

Ruka's eyes opened and met Renei's own desperately as Torunka exclaimed, "What?!" Regulus was quicker to stand up and take action.

"You must escape from this trouble in your world first. It is not yet time here. If you ever need the Ancient Fairy Dragon's power, then you can return. You _must_ return."

Renei asked, "What about you guys?"

The lion stepped next to the little magician and said, "Until your return, Torunka and I will protect the Spirit World."

Torunka nodded confidently, saying, "Yes! Regulus and… wait, what? Wait a second! Me too?!" He gestured to himself. "I don't think I'll be very effective in battle in my, er… _current_ state."

Ruka reached for Renei's hand. She smiled at the lion and the magician, her tone resolved. "Regulus, Torunka, we'll be back! Please do all you can until then!" Then she turned to Renei and said, "Okay then, let's return. Close your eyes…"

Renei followed the girl's instructions and after a moment, heard her say, "Oh… You're in the Arcadia Movement, too…" Ruka's hand squeezed hers and she said, "I'm also being held there. Can you please save me?"

Renei opened her eyes and said fiercely, "Hell yeah I will. I've got plans to ruin somebody's day as soon as I get back."

Torunka waved his arms frantically. "Wait! Just a minute! Let me give you something!" He held out his hand and the staff they'd used to reverse the Minus Staff's power flew into it. He drew glowing lines in the air above it with his index finger and pushed each symbol he formed into the staff. It glowed brightly for a brief second, then dimmed as Torunka handed it back to Renei.

"There! Now you can take this staff into the human world with you. You can use it to rescue Ruka again!" He grinned at her and added, "Go get 'em, Renei!"

Renei nodded firmly, then turned back to Ruka. "Come on."

Together, they closed their eyes. Renei felt a will that was not her own surround her, but it wasn't like what Sayer had done to her over a year ago. This small will was gentle and kind rather than harsh and forceful, and she recognized it as Ruka's. Renei let Ruka's will guide her own and the forest faded away until they both floated in the black haze.

Ruka didn't hesitate, but began guiding Renei through the haze, passing through it at great speed with unerring purpose. When Renei felt uncertainty in the girl's ability to return them both to their bodies, she felt a sense of calm reassurance and confidence emanate from Ruka. A pinprick of light appeared in the distance and expanded quickly outward until it replaced the haze.

They were floating in a room, and Renei looked down at herself lying on a bed in a room similar to the one she'd been sharing with Liquid and Okita previously. Ruka's will pushed her gently towards her body, and Renei reached out with her mind to brush it…

She felt a sudden yank and slammed back into her body with a deep gasp, bolting upright. She pressed her hands all over herself, checking to make sure she was actually back in her body and in control of it. She replayed everything Sayer had wiped away in his brainwashing sessions just to make sure they were still there. Then she stood up and laughed gleefully, dancing like a maniac

_Oh, Divine, your day is about to get __fucked up__._

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: Writing with background noise has been really helpful. I use and try to pick ones that match whatever setting I have to write in. They've got some pretty good noises that are adjustable.**_

_**As always, thank you to beta reader Yurei Hanatsuki, for catching any and all mistakes. Also, shoutout to RoseGuardian23 (now Guardian's Solace) for always leaving honest reviews. I appreciate the time that each of you take to provide opinions on this thing.**_

**_**For anyone wondering about my headcanon regarding how Regulus hears the opposite of what's said and how that did not affect the duel in any way: I don't know. It just didn't, and I'm happy to hear all theories as to why that is, because let me tell you, I really tried to work up something to make sense and couldn't.**_**


	23. Guess Who's Back

Chapter 4: The Journey - An Old Encounter,The Escape, and a New Menace

**Guess Who's Back**

Renei's victory dance was interrupted by the sound of somebody pounding on the metal door next door. She stopped and heard a vaguely familiar female voice shout, "Hey! Open! Open this door, please!"

Renei looked at the enormous mirror on the wall and moved closer to it, grinning at the thought of a potential ally. She heard the person next door slump against the door and moan, "Oh, this is the pits. I can't believe I could be shut up in a place like this!" There was a sound like a fist punching the metal door, and the person yelled, "If I miss my deadline, the editor-in-chief'll blow his top! _Get me outta here!_"

It clicked then who the person must be. _That stupid reporter from before! Whatsername, Carrie Red or something? Or was it Miner? _

The reporter continued to shout for help, then sobbed. Renei heard her drop to the floor and just barely made out her saying, "Jack… Please… Save me… Oh, Jack..."

_Oh fuck. Please don't let her be some weird-ass stalker of Jack's. I really don't want her to decide I'm her rival and kill me or something._

Renei gave her own room a quick inspection for anything useful. She found Torunka's staff buried in the sheets of the bed and picked it up, impressed that it had traveled with her just as he'd promised. No duel disks or decks, unfortunately, but considering she was in the middle of a building packed to the rafters with Psychic duelists, that was probably for the best. She didn't want to be attacked by someone who could rip her apart with their minds during a duel. Then she tried the door, which was predictably locked. A touch from the staff fixed that problem right away, and the door hissed open when she tried again. She slipped into the hall and moved to the door of the room next to hers. She nearly jumped out of her skin when the stupid reporter suddenly started pounding on it again.

"H-hey! You there! How did you unlock the door and break out? You were in the room next to me, right? I just heard your door opening!"

That moron was going to bring the entire Arcadia Movement down on them if she didn't shut up! Renei was tempted for a moment to leave the reporter in there. She couldn't afford to be held back by this idiot. Her mind changed as the reporter banged even louder on the door, and shouted, "Well, however you did it, can you get me out, too?! Pretty please!"

Renei hurriedly hit the door release with the staff. As the door hissed open, she growled, "Shut the fuck up if you don't want to be screwed over by Psychics. Are you insane, making that much racket?"

The reporter -Carly Nagisa, that was her name- recoiled at the ferocity of Renei's tone, but recovered quickly. In a voice that was thankfully much quieter, she said, "Thanks! I owe you one!" Then her eyebrows furrowed as she studied Renei from behind her thick glasses, and she leaned forward as if to get a better look.

"I have this funny feeling like I've seen you before…"

Then Carly snapped her fingers and grinned. "I got it! You were at the Fortune Cup!" She did a little jig as if pleased with herself, but stopped and muttered to herself, "But why on earth was an Arcadia Movement duelist thrown into a cell?"

Before Renei could explain, the reporter became excited and exclaimed, "I smell a scoop! Time to get fact-hunting!" Then she drooped, and laughed sheepishly. "Or at least that's what I should say, but if I stick around here, I'm bound to get caught again!" She grabbed Renei's hand, pumped it a couple of times, and said, "Anyway, thanks a million! See you around!"

With that, the reporter took off, leaving a scrap of paper floating in her wake. Renei scowled, wondering if that idiotic girl even knew her way out.

_She better not get caught again. I'm not going to go back after her if she does._

The scrap of paper caught her eye just then, and she bent to pick it up. It was covered with sprawling handwriting, as if somebody had scribbled on it in a rush, and took her a few moments to puzzle out what it said.

"_Jack Atlas, the former king, and Sector Security Director Godwin are both originally from Satellite!"_

Renei raised one eyebrow, but wasn't really that interested. She wanted to know how Jack and Yusei had managed to escape Satellite in the first place. Information like this would probably be shocking to the stuck-up mainlanders, but so would finding out there was a Spirit World and that the world was in danger of ending because of some great evil. She crumpled the note and stuck it in her pocket.

Further down the hall, she heard a door hiss open and ducked behind one of the statues that decorated the building. A quick peek showed her… Liquid? He shambled to the middle of the hallway, mumbling to himself, and took up a position of attention between her and the way out. She squinted and strained her ears, trying to hear what he was saying.

"Must… bey… Sayer… wish… truders… capt… cells…"

Renei didn't know Liquid very well, but she was willing to bet a lot that he didn't normally have spells where he acted like a zombie.

_Sayer must have done something to him, that asshole._

She gritted her teeth. Liquid may have been a jerk to her, but he didn't deserve to be used by Sayer like she had been. She didn't want to hurt him if he was being controlled by Sayer, but that didn't mean he wouldn't keep from hurting her. As she ducked back down behind the statue, trying to figure out a way to deal with him without hurting him, she bumped against the statue. It wobbled in place, and her heart took off like a jackrabbit in fear. It settled back into immobility, though, and hadn't seemed to catch Liquid's attention.

Renei looked at the statue speculatively. Liquid was obviously not very attentive to detail in his current state. Maybe she could use that to her advantage…

She gave the statue a good, hard shove. It began to topple, and she scrambled across the hall to hide behind a similar, more sturdy statue. The one she'd pushed over fell with a solid _thunk_ and she saw Liquid turn to look at it.

"Again…? It's… fallen over from all the psychic waves…?"

His voice was dull, and he shambled up to the statue and knelt down next to it. "I must put it back up… or else… Master Sayer will get angry at me…"

Carefully, Renei slid between the wall and the statue she was hiding behind, then quickly made her way down the hall. She slipped into the room Liquid had come out of, and searched it for anything that could help her. There was a duel disk in the tiny closet, but no cards. She took it anyways, figuring she could always bludgeon somebody with the damn thing if she needed to. Then she was back out into the hall, warily making her way down it.

The first set of doors she passed was an elevator that needed a keycard, but as she passed the second one, the familiar voice of a little girl called out to her.

"Renei? Is that you there, Renei?"

Renei stopped and grinned. It had been unexpectedly easy to find who she'd been looking for. Ruka continued to speak excitedly.

"I'm so glad you came! Thank you so much!"

Renei tapped the door release with the magic staff, and the door slid open to reveal the little girl. Ruka smiled happily and flung herself at Renei, clinging around her waist in a grateful hug.

"Renei! Thanks for coming to rescue me!"

Renei peeled the little girl off and said, "It's what I'm here for. Keep your voice down, there are guards."

Ruka nodded and said in a lower voice, "This is our first time meeting in the real world, right? You've saved me once in the Spirit World and now in the real world, too!" She sighed and smiled self-consciously. "I feel like you're my personal bodyguard…"

Renei shook her head. "Don't worry about it. Now come on, we've got to get moving."

Ruka grabbed her sleeve and said quickly, "Actually, I have to bother you one more time… My twin brother Rua is being kept in a room nearby. I really need your help to rescue him."

Renei sighed, but remembered what the mysterious voice had told her to do. She was supposed to support Ruka, and if Ruka needed to save her twin, then Renei needed to help her do it. She nodded, and Ruka hugged her again, saying, "Thank you so much!"

Renei asked, "Any idea where he might be?"

Ruka said, "We were brought here together, and since I was thrown in here first, he must be in a room up ahead."

Before Renei could respond, something behind her seemed to catch the little girl's attention. Ruka gasped with surprise.

"Yusei!"

"Ruka! Are you okay?"

Renei spun around in disbelief at the familiar voice and saw Yusei coming quickly toward them. He stumbled in shock at the sight of her, and she reacted immediately, grabbing his arm to keep him from falling. Yusei looked at her in wonder, as if dumbfounded by finding her here.

"Renei?!"

They heard a noise further down the hallway, and a curtain of wariness dropped over Yusei's face. He turned to look around, saying quietly, "There's guards nearby. Let's head into that room for the time being."

Together, they all ducked into Ruka's former prison, the door sliding shut behind them. They all waited for a moment, holding their breath so as to hear anyone approaching. When the door didn't shoot back open for some enemy to discover them, Yusei turned to Renei, naked emotion on his face.

"Renei! You're okay!"

She grinned and grabbed him with a fierce hug. She didn't normally do stuff like touching other people to demonstrate her affection, but it felt so good to _know_ who he was and to remember why he was so important to her. He was startled, but returned the hug with equal ferocity, clearly just as glad to see her as she was him. Her eyes began to burn as tears gathered, and a lump formed in her throat. Yusei's voice was thick as he said, "You had everyone worried when you disappeared like that… Then I saw you yesterday and thought it was impossible!"

She pulled out of the hug, still grinning like a moron, and wiped at her eyes with her sleeve. He seemed to register what she was wearing, then, and said in confusion, "That uniform… Doesn't that belong to the Arcadia Movement? Why are you wearing that?"

Renei plucked at her tabard with a scowl. "Yeah, about that. Yusei, I got kidnapped by the guy who runs this whole show the day after… Well… You know. That's why I disappeared. Then he brainwashed me into forgetting my whole past, and has spent the last two years running these fucking experiments on me."

Ruka coughed, and Renei covered her mouth, glancing guiltily at the little girl. Her anger at Divine had made her forget the little girl's presence for a moment. She normally tried to check her foul language in front of younger children.

Yusei's eyes widened in shock. "What?! You were brainwashed?!"

Ruka's forehead puckered as she stared at Renei. "Really? Then how come…" Her eyes lit up just then, and she tapped her fist into her palm as something seemed to make sense. Her voice was excited as she said, "I know! Renei, you're connected with the Spirit World, too! That's why they're after you!"

Renei grinned and pointed at Ruka. "Bingo. The night before I was kidnapped, I was called to the Spirit World in my sleep. Then, a few days ago, I heard you calling for help."

"I could have been brainwashed, too…" Ruka suddenly looked worried at the idea, as if something in her mind was waiting to take over at any minute.

Renei shook her head. "I don't think so. Divine was probably using me as a guinea pig before he tried anything on you. He probably wanted to be absolutely sure he could control you, but didn't want to risk breaking such a valuable tool." Her tone turned bitter as she added, "I, however, was expendable."

There was an awkward silence for a moment, then Ruka turned to Yusei and asked nervously, "By the way, Yusei, you and Renei know each other?"

He nodded and gave Renei a little smile, saying, "We're old friends from Satellite. How you know Renei, Ruka?"

The little girl sat on her bed and gestured for them to sit down. "It'll take a little while to explain, so please, make yourselves comfortable." Renei grinned at how polite the little girl acted, even though they were in the room that had been her prison up until a few moments ago, and flopped onto the couch.

Ruka described how she'd been kidnapped a few weeks ago by Divine, and how she'd gone to the Spirit World looking for help. She told how there, she'd been kidnapped _again_, this time by Zeman, then rescued by Renei. Yusei listened intently, nodding occasionally, and seeming to believe what the little girl was telling him. When she finished her story, he said, "You don't say… I never knew you had that kind of power. Either of you."

Renei snorted. "It's not like I have much control over it. I seem to only be able to get there whenever I'm out cold. Ruka's a lot more powerful than me."

Yusei glanced at her, his face neutral. Renei recognized that he was withholding judgement until he'd had enough time to think through everything he'd heard. Suddenly, they heard somebody moving outside the door, and they all froze again. After what seemed like an eternity, but was more likely only a few minutes, they relaxed. Yusei spoke urgently in a low voice.

"We have a lot to talk about, but before all of that, we'd better get out of here."

Ruka nodded agreement, her expression determined. "You're right. I need to rescue Rua right away!"

Yusei looked at the door, already focused on the situation at hand. "And I've come here to help Aki. I think we'll be more effective if we split up and go separately."

Renei grimaced at the mention of the Black Rose Witch. Yusei must be some kind of masochist, considering the damage Aki had dealt him just a couple of days ago. He was going to deliberately go after her? Then she remembered her duel with the girl. Aki had seemed so human then, and genuinely regretted hurting Renei before Divine had overwhelmed her will with his. Yusei was good at seeing people's true hearts, and if he'd decided that Aki was worth saving, then the crazy witch was worth saving. Probably.

Yusei fixed her with his serious gaze and said, "Renei, after you and Ruka save Rua, get them both out of this place." He stood up, then his gaze fell on the duel disk she was carrying with its empty deck chamber.

"Oh, yeah… I better give you this."

He reached for his belt and Renei noticed that two deck holsters were clipped to it. He removed one and handed it to her.

"The day you disappeared, Itsuki found this. When things calm down a bit, we'll tell him you're okay."

Renei opened the deck holster and began checking the deck, a grin spreading across her face. It was the Dragon deck she'd last put together, the same one she'd been using in the Spirit World. She put it into the duel disk's deck chamber, slid the disk onto her arm, then looked at Yusei with amusement.

"Please tell me you haven't been carrying that around with you the whole time I was gone."

Yusei shook his head. "I had Crow send it to me after I saw you yesterday. I couldn't figure out why you were with those guys, but I decided that if I saw you, I would give it to you. It just seemed like the right thing to do."

She grinned. "Hey, I'm not gonna argue with that logic."

He pulled something out of the inside of his coat and said, "This is something my friend Blister made. Here, I'll give you one of these." He handed it to her and she saw it was a keycard.

She asked, "Is this for that elevator?"

He nodded. "You may need it to get out of here." Renei nodded and stuck it in her own pocket, then offered her hand to Yusei. He didn't hesitate, but gripped her forearm as she gripped his in their private gesture of solidarity. When they released each other, he nodded once.

"All right. I'm off to rescue Aki."

With that, he keyed the door release and stepped out of the room, glancing quickly from side to side as he checked to see if the coast was clear. Once he was gone, Ruka made fists and said determinedly, "Then we're on our way, too! Come on, Renei!"

* * *

><p><span><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: What is it with this game and gaping plot holes? We've got Crow and his suspiciously convenient ownership of a Securities uniform and Yusei happens to be holding onto your deck. My suspension of disbelief can stretch pretty far, but even it has limits. Patching up those plot holes is a heck of a job, let me tell you.**_

_**Or you could tell me instead if I did a good job or not. Am I keeping your disbelief suspended well enough?**_


	24. Arcadia Falls

Chapter 4: The Journey - An Old Encounter,The Escape, and a New Menace

**Arcadia Falls**

Renei snagged the little girl before she could rush out into the hall and said, "Whoa, hang on. If you want my help, we're going to do things my way."

Ruka hesitated, then nodded. Renei told her to sit and wait on the couch while she scouted out the situation in the hall. Sure enough, there was somebody patrolling out there. It was Okita, shambling and mumbling just like Liquid had been. Quickly, silently, she slipped behind him and shadowed his movements, counting on the guess that he was just as inattentive as Liquid in this state. It didn't take long for her to get past him to the door of the room Ruka thought her brother was held in.

"Renei! This must be it!"

The sound of Ruka's voice behind her made Renei jump. She whirled around to see the little girl running up behind her and groaned inwardly. Sure enough, behind Ruka came a leering Divine flanked by dull-eyed Liquid and Okita.

"Well, what do we have here?" He brushed a wisp of hair out of his eyes casually, and smirked. "I came here to catch a trespasser, only to find you trying to escape instead."

Renei put her hand on Ruka's shoulder and gently pulled the girl back. "That's generally what people who are imprisoned against their will try to do unless you brainwash 'em good enough."

That got her a scowl from Divine, and he said, "On top of that, the two of you seem to hold a ticket to the Spirit World. There's no way I'll let you fools slip through my hands!"

Renei didn't speak, instead glaring at Divine as if she could make his head catch on fire with the power of her gaze. She wasn't sure if she could resist his Psychic abilities or survive another round of brainwashing, and didn't dare risk attacking him with Ruka behind her. Divine continued to speak, sounding way too pleased with himself.

"I make sure that _all_ trespassers are dealt with accordingly." He glanced at Liquid and Okita and said languidly, "I'll leave these two to you."

Liquid turned his glassy stare on Renei and took a shuffling step forward. "Yes, Master Sayer. As you wish."

Okita mirrored Liquid's move forward, adding in a toneless voice, "Objective confirmed. We will do our very best to subdue them."

Renei's glare only grew more intense, and Divine threw back his head to laugh.

"Just a short while ago, I treated them to some very intense brainwashing. I'm using them as guinea pigs to perfect a more powerful process of brainwashing that I'll use on you."

Renei remembered how she'd managed to beat them before, and as if he was reading her mind, Divine sneered. "Compared to before, their dueling skills and ruthlessness are on a whole new level."

She _really_ wanted to tell him to fuck off, but didn't want to risk antagonizing him while she still had Ruka to worry about. Liquid and Okita might have been Psychic Duelists, but they were relatively unskilled in the use of their abilities. Besides, she'd beaten them before, and felt reasonably sure that she could do it again, no matter what Divine said. If she pissed off Divine, he might go get a couple of more powerful duelists or even his precious little Aki to beat them down. That could end up putting Yusei at risk, too, so instead of letting her anger get the better of her, she bit her tongue and continued to glare at Divine.

Divine turned to walk away, and said over his shoulder casually, "You should just relax. Soon enough, you, too, will be under my command." Then he began to laugh, as if this was a really funny joke.

Ruka stepped out from behind Renei and activated her duel disk, looking scared but determined. "We won't let you do this!"

Liquid activated his own duel disk and said listlessly, "Anyone who opposes Sayer must be destroyed." Quickly, Renei activated her own so as to force a tag duel, and Okita's disk lit up in response.

Ruka glanced at Renei, fear in her eyes. "Oh no… Do you think they'll snap out of it if we win?"

Renei shrugged, her shoulders tense. She'd only snapped out of her own brainwashing because of seeing Yusei again. The two former Enforcers shared a powerful bond that ran deeper than the brainwashing had been able to reach. Despite having experienced it for herself, she didn't know very much about brainwashing or about Psychic duelists. Divine had kept her isolated for most of her captivity, after all. She had no idea how to go about getting Liquid and Okita out of their own brainwashed states.

She suddenly felt a familiar sensation of peace and calm, and looked over at Ruka. The feeling was very faint, and seemed to emanate from the little girl. It was the same thing she'd experienced when the mysterious voice had pulled her into the Spirit World last year. Renei frowned in confusion, but turned her attention to the duel that was about to take place, trying to keep from being distracted by whatever was going on with that.

As the duel progressed, it became obvious that whatever was happening with Ruka was growing stronger and helping to protect her from whatever damage their Psychic opponents could bring to bear. Renei thought she wouldn't get off so easily, but the first time she was dealt damage, Torunka's staff grew warm and she was left physically unharmed. It apparently had the ability to protect her from Psychic attack. She fervently thanked the magician in her head for this unexpected bonus, and began to pray that its power wouldn't run out before the duel ended. It didn't, fortunately, and Renei breathed a little sigh of relief as Okita's and Liquid's Life Points dropped to zero.

The peaceful feeling that had been emanating from Ruka during the entire duel suddenly surged forward, then dissipated into nothing. Liquid and Okita stumbled back a step as if it had struck them, groaning. Then Liquid lifted his head, confusion spreading across his face as he took in his surroundings. When he glanced at her, Renei could see his eyes no longer had that dull look she associated with a brainwashed state and looked at Ruka with startlement. Liquid stared at both girls for a moment, then frowned, seeming more confused than before.

"Renei? What's going on? Why were we…?"

Ruka interrupted, looking a little surprised, but pleased as well. "You two were being controlled by Sayer."

Liquid jerked back with surprise, saying, "We were being controlled?!" Then his fists clenched and he scowled. "Oh yeah… We were hooked up to some really strange device in the laboratory."

Okita had a hand on his head, and his expression was sad. He seemed to be in control of himself again as well. With a quiet voice, he said, "So that was a brainwashing machine? To think that this is a really evil organization…"

Renei frowned at that. She lifted her hand, then dropped it, unsure of what to say. Liquid and Okita weren't bad people. Liquid might rub her the wrong way with his dickwad behavior, but that didn't make him evil. Okita was a little quick to give up when faced with problems, but he had shown empathy towards her before. Seria wasn't bad, either. Renei was pretty sure the woman had saved her life during the last brainwashing session, even though doing so meant contradicting Divine's orders.

_Even that witch- no, Aki. Even Aki was upset at having hurt me when we dueled. I think whenever she did something bad, it was because Divine was controlling her._

Okita removed his glasses and rubbed his eyes, looking suddenly weary. "To tell you the truth… I don't want to be here a second longer."

Liquid put a hand on the other boy's shoulder in a gesture of support. "Yeah, same here, buddy. Let's get out of here right now." He glanced at Renei. "What about you? Isn't Mas- Isn't Sayer after you guys?"

Renei shook her head and said, "He is, but I've still got something to do."

Ruka nodded in agreement. "My brother is still being kept here. I think he might be in this room."

Liquid said quickly, "Then we'll help you! We should all try and get outta this place, and fast!" His face was a fierce mix of determination and anger. Okita seemed encouraged by Liquid's declaration and said, "Hear, hear! I have a plan."

Renei had been about to insist that they go on ahead, but stopped and gestured for Okita to speak. He put on his glasses and pushed them into place as he said, "First, Liquid and I'll report to Sayer that we captured you two to make him let his guard down. We will then wait for you on the first floor. Join up with us after you rescue your brother."

Ruka and Renei both nodded, and Ruka said, "Thank you so much for your help."

Liquid waved her thanks away and asked, "Do you guys have a key card for the elevator?"

Renei pulled the one Yusei had given her out of her pocket to show them and grinned as Ruka said, "It's okay. We can make it."

Okita nodded and put his head up high, throwing his shoulder back. "Very well. The two of us shall go and see Sayer straight away." He gave Renei a little smile that seemed more sad than happy, and said, "Renei, I do hope we can meet again soon."

Renei nodded at him as Ruka said sincerely, "Please, take care, you two." They watched Liquid and Okita turn and move down the hall until they got into the elevator, no longer shambling as they had when under Divine's control. Once they were gone, Ruka turned to Renei, urgency clear in her tone.

"We need to go rescue Rua and quick!"

With a flourish, Renei drew Torunka's staff from her belt, spun, and tapped it on the door release. It beeped and slid open, letting Ruka rush inside.

"Rua!" The little girl's voice was half joy, half sob. When Renei got into the room, she saw Ruka hugging a little boy who was indeed her twin. Where she wore pigtails, he had a fluffy, short ponytail at the back of his head. Their clothes were similar in all except color.

He looked astonished to see her, and said, "Ruka! How did you open the door?!" Then he spotted Renei and said more belligerently, "And who's that with you? Isn't that the same uniform that they're all wearing here?" He tried to pull away from his sister in some sort of attempt to attack or defend, but Ruka had stopped hugging him and was now holding him back.

"This is Renei, Rua! She's a friend who rescued me in the Spirit World!"

This made the little boy pause and regard Renei with some surprise that quickly turned to admiration. "The Spirit World? Then you can go there, too, huh? Wow!" He marched up to her and stuck out his hand, saying cheerily, "Well, thanks a lot for saving Ruka, Renei!"

Renei, a little bemused, shook his hand. He studied her for a moment, then grinned and said, "Hey, Renei! How strong are you?"

Before she got a chance to answer, he ran to the other end of the room and said, "How about a duel?"

Ruka shook her head and sighed, but was still smiling. "I knew you'd say that… Rua, we're kinda still in _danger_, you know. We have to go _now!_"

He put his hands up in surrender, and said a little guiltily, "Calm down, don't get so touchy…" They all headed for the door, and Rua grabbed Renei's arm, adding, "Renei, we gotta duel once we get outta this place!"

Renei didn't know what to think. Rua was pretty similar to Itsuki, but she didn't think even Itsuki would demand a duel in the middle of being rescued. Ruka just rolled her eyes and said, "Even in situations like this, that's all you can ever think about? Let's go already, we need to take the elevator down!"

Renei led them out and down the hall with Torunka's staff in hand, wary of any other Psychic duelists. She didn't think there would be any, but just in case there were, she was determined not to let them get a chance to lay into the kids first. When they reached the elevator, she put the staff back on her belt and slid the keycard Yusei had given her into the slot. There was a soft _ding_ and the doors slid open.

Ruka tugged on her brother's sleeve, saying urgently, "We'd better hurry!" All three of them got into the spacious, well-lit elevator, and as the doors slid shut, Rua said cheerfully, "Going down!"

Renei ignored Ruka's ensuing beratement. She would feel a lot better once they were out of the building and beyond Sayer's reach. So far, she hadn't seen any hint of the danger Ruka had sensed approaching back in the Spirit World. It was possible that the little girl had meant the danger they had already been in, but somehow, Renei didn't think that was the case. She couldn't shake the feeling that something bad was coming.

* * *

><p>Divine scowled at the broken body of that snoopy reporter. She was struggling to get up from the floor, but his psychic blow had probably broken her ribs and punctured a lung or something, judging by the way she kept coughing up blood. Her mind was a confusion of fear, regret, and images of the former king, Jack Atlas. She was probably dying, and Divine could only muster up disgust at her stupidity of thinking she could trifle with the Arcadia Movement and emerge unscathed.<p>

Something was bothering him, though, and he began to speak out loud as he tried to work it out. He didn't normally talk to himself, but the noise of the stupid reporter's mind was forcing him to devote more mental energy to block her out rather than think the problem through.

"I came here because I heard there was a trespasser, but it was only this girl again? Unless there's still someone else sneaking around who doesn't belong here… How could she and those fools from before have escaped from their rooms anyway?"

The door opened and he heard two pairs of feet shuffle in. They stopped at a respectful distance from him, and one said stiffly, "Master Sayer, sir, we have captured the ones who were trying to escape."

Still preoccupied with the problem of how his little tools had gotten out, he waved a hand at them, saying, "Excellent. Bottle them up tight then. Gah, they're turning into real nuisances… Now, you two, return to your guard duty."

The one who'd spoken bowed and said, "Yes, Master Sayer. As you command." Then they both turned and left the room, leaving Master Sayer to continue puzzling out the mystery. Belatedly, he realized he should have told them to dispose of the dying reporter and scowled even harder.

"How could they all escape from one cell after another…?"

When he could think of no answer, he gave a short growl of irritation. "I'll have to check on things myself." Divine finally decided to give up and simply go interrogate the troublemakers. The death throes of the reporter were just too distracting. He turned and left his office.

* * *

><p>The elevator reached the bottom floor with another gentle <em>ding<em> and opened. Rua burst out of the elevator, shouting, "Freedom!" while Ruka caught Renei's sleeve and said, "We'll be fine on our own from here, Renei. You should go back and help Yusei."

Renei looked down at the worry in the little girl's voice and found her staring up at the ceiling with trepidation. Ruka added, "I don't know if it's headed for Yusei or Aki, but I've got a feeling that danger is coming their way."

At this, Rua came charging back and planted himself stubbornly next to Renei. "Then I'm going too!"

Ruka looked at her twin and said reasonably, "But even if we go, we won't be able to help them. They would just worry about us, Rua. We'll head out with the others so they don't have to, okay?"

Rua's mulish look didn't go away, but he nodded reluctantly. Ruka looked back to Renei and said, "Please… Help Yusei and Aki."

Renei nodded and made a shooing gesture as she pulled Torunka's staff from her belt. Rua tugged on her sleeve and said, "Renei! Remember, you promised to duel me! Make sure you get back safely!"

Renei rolled her eyes, knowing damn well that she hadn't made any such promise. When she looked down at the little boy, though, she saw genuine fear for her safety in his face before he turned and ran towards the exit. Renei looked at Ruka and gently pushed her after him, saying, "Go on. I'll bring Yusei back safely, don't worry. Go take care of your brother."

Ruka nodded solemnly. "Renei… Take care of yourself, too…" Then the little girl was gone.

Renei slipped back into the elevator and let it carry her up again, gripping the staff tensely the entire time. When it arrived and let her out, she heard an unwelcome voice from down the hall.

"You fool! I thought I had you under wraps!"

She spun to see Divine storming towards her, face clouded with anger. She almost came back with a retort about how she couldn't be a fool if she'd managed to escape yet again, but at the expression on his face, decided that trashtalking would be a bad idea. He pulled a deck from his pocket and slammed it into the duel disk he was wearing. His voice was furious as he said, "I don't know how you escaped, but you can be certain it'll be the last time! I'll wipe your mind clean of any thoughts of escaping again!"

His duel disk lit up and Renei's disk followed suit as she was forced into a duel. He played hard and fast, and wasn't shy about giving up Life Points to deal her damage. The staff protected her from the brunt of his Psychic attacks, but as the duel progressed, she saw the surrounding hallway get more and more beat up. She fought grimly, getting lucky in the draws and managed to pull off the right combos in the right places. Divine became more reckless the more his Life Points drained away. When he managed to summon his Thought Ruler Archfiend, Renei thought for sure she was screwed, and watched his Life Points rise again with every one of her monsters he destroyed. However, one Exploding Dragon and two Golem Dragons later, she began slowly taking back the ground she'd lost.

With one final attack, she forced Divine's Life Points to zero. The duel monsters faded away and Divine leaned forward to put his hands on his knees, clearly exhausted by the huge amounts of mental energy he'd expended.

"I can't believe you possess this much power…" He looked at her, then grunted as he straightened up again, reaching into his vest for something. "You leave me no choice. Violence is not my policy, but…"

Renei flinched back as he snapped out a card. Wind suddenly whipped up as an intensely hot fireball formed over Divine's head, and Renei saw that the card he held was Hinotama. Divine's laugh was harsh, and he shouted, "Take this!"

Desperately, Renei brought Torunka's staff in front of her, hoping that it could hold up against this one last attack. The fireball streaked towards her, and she closed her eyes against the searing light, expecting to be consumed by flames at any moment.

There was a shriek. The light from the fireball intensified, then dimmed. Renei heard something heavy thud to the ground and Divine groan something in disbelief. She opened her eyes to see that the fireball had vanished and Divine was laying facedown on the ground. The staff in her hands was warm and glowed gently, and she pressed it to her forehead in mute gratitude.

_If I ever see that little bastard Torunka again, I swear I'm going to hug him and never let him go._

She tucked the staff back into her belt and ran past Divine's prone form. Whether he was unconscious or dead, Renei didn't care. He was just an asshole who exploited innocents for his own gain. He wasn't her protector, or her friend, or anyone even remotely worth her concern. All she wanted was to find Yusei and escape this hellhole.

A short way down the hall, she stopped dead in her tracks, hearing voices on the level below her.

"Wh-who are you?"

Renei ran to the side railing and peered over, spotting Aki Izayoi facing off against a strange young woman with odd Marks and disturbing eyes that were black where the whites should have been. Aki's voice was a little slurred and she looked unsteady as she stood facing the dark-clad stranger, asking, "Wh-who are you? You're…"

Aki squinted at the stranger, then stumbled back a step, saying, "Misty Tredwell…"

The woman sneered and advanced on the Black Rose Witch. Her voice had a hard edge to it as she said, "I'm honored you know who I am. I also know a lot about you, Aki Izayoi."

Aki stared at Misty in confusion, but Renei just rolled her eyes. Of course this chick knew Aki's name, it was probably in every article about the Fortune Cup. People would be going over Yusei's entire history since he won with that Mark on his face, and since he'd dueled the Black Rose Witch, it stood to reason that they'd be going over her past as well. There was also the fact that she'd used her Psychic abilities liberally during the Cup, which probably provided a lot of fuel for speculation about her.

Misty continued to speak coldly. "I will have my revenge now. You cannot escape."

Aki just shook her head. "What on earth are you talking about? What revenge? What for?"

A flash of anger passed across Misty's face, and Renei recoiled. For a moment, she'd felt a hint of that dark presence she'd sensed in her dream before being kidnapped. Then Misty's face smoothed over, and she smiled serenely.

"Don't worry about it. I don't expect you to comprehend… No matter what happens, _he_ will never come back to me. However…" Misty turned her strange black gaze onto Aki, her features taking on an intensity that was almost crazed. "You can at least apologize to him. I will send you to meet him now."

Aki tried to speak, but Misty held up a hand to stop her and said, "No need for you to worry. In making amends for your crimes, you will now perish."

Renei spun and took off for the elevator, intent on trying reach Aki before anything could happen to her. If something happened to Aki, Yusei might do something stupid in order to make up for what he would no doubt see as his failure to protect someone. Renei wasn't about to let that happen. She made it into the elevator and slapped the button, feeling each precious moment slide away with horrible slowness.

* * *

><p>Divine found himself lying on the floor where he'd collapsed. That bitch Renei had somehow turned his Psychic attack back on him, and the backlash had been brutal. He looked around wildly, but the girl was gone. He had a horrible headache from pushing his psychic powers to the absolute limit. Snarling in frustration, he asked, "What happened? How could that fool have so much power?!"<p>

He slammed his fist on the ground and said darkly, "Maybe I've been a little too lenient with my research subject. I won't make that mistake again."

A feminine voice laughed behind him and said condescendingly, "You're not too smart, huh, _Master_ Sayer?"

He spun around, but saw nobody. "Who is it?! Who's there?"

In the middle of the brightly lit hall, a shadow began to coalesce. It grew bigger and taller, gaining more definition until a familiar figure stood before him, leering. Divine stumbled back at the sight of the reporter he'd left dying in his office, who was now dressed in completely different clothes and had disconcerting black eyes.

"There's no way! Didn't… Didn't I just take care of you with my own two hands…?"

Her gaze focused on him with a terrifying severity. She stalked toward him as she said, "I have been reborn in order to seal your doom!" A strange pressure began to push on his mind, and Divine winced as pain bloomed in his head at the strain.

"Th-this can't be…!" He put a hand to his temple and tried to block out the distraction of his headache and the pressure.

The reporter's voice was contemptuous and low. "What a fool you are." She lifted one hand and a duel disk materialized on it. "This is the end for you. Prepare for a shadow duel."

Divine managed to laugh at that, though a small part of him wanted to run screaming at the insanity of what was happening. "A shadow duel?! It doesn't matter how you managed to return here. Challenging me to a duel proves you have no idea how weak you truly are!"

This did not seem to faze the girl. She only shrugged and indifferently, "Say what you will, Sayer. It will not change your end." Then her face transformed into a twisted mask of glee as she added, "I'll send you and all your foolish ambition straight into hell!"

Divine mustered up a defiant grin despite the pain and the pressure. "Very well! I'll be glad to take you on! Prepare yourself!" He tried to convince himself that he had enough remaining strength to unleash the terrors of psychic dueling upon this idiotic reporter. He would obliterate her, then return his attention back to real problems.

* * *

><p>Renei bounced with tension during the short ride to the floor below, and barely had the patience for the doors to open. She rushed down the hall and saw that Aki seemed to be more in control of herself now. The Black Rose Witch said with a tone of startlement, "You're really trying to take my life, aren't you? Why?"<p>

Misty spat, "It's for all the pain you've caused during each of your duels. You've destroyed things over and over again! You didn't even care that my little brother perished!"

"But I don't even know who your little brother is!"

Renei knew from the way Misty's eyes went wide that Aki had just said the exact wrong thing. Misty's eyes narrowed, and her voice was harsh. "Precisely. My brother means absolutely _nothing_ to you. Just another one of your nameless victims!"

Aki shook her head, and Renei glanced at her warily, wondering if the Psychic witch would lose control of her powers again. Instead, Aki said desperately, "I don't know anything about it… I never knew your brother…"

Misty brought her hand up to rub her eyes and laughed almost disbelievingly. "You have no memory of him at all… But to me, he was a precious person who can never be replaced!" She didn't look at Aki as she pointed an accusatory finger at her. "All you do is cause destruction and pain. Truly a witch…"

Aki seemed unable to respond to that accusation, and her head hung in defeat. Suddenly, there was an ear-splitting screech followed by a deafening crash, and the building shook violently, knocking everyone to the floor. As the building continued to shudder and groan, Aki asked frantically, "What just happened?"

There was a scream, and they all looked towards the edge to see a figure falling. Time seemed to freeze, and Renei registered that the figure was Divine. His face was twisted in an expression of fear and shock. Then he was gone, and Aki was rushing for the railing, screaming his name. Renei lunged after Aki, not knowing what the girl might try to do, but knowing that she should try to stop it.

Misty was standing calmly and said wearily, "The end has come already. Much faster than I expected. It seems we have to postpone our duel until a later time, witch." She walked away, unnoticed by Aki.

Renei had managed to grab Aki before she could fling herself over the railing after Divine.

They both heard the wet crack of his body against the floor.

Aki fell against the side railing, nearly pulling Renei off-balance, and began to sob Divine's name brokenly. Renei eyed the building as it groaned, and began to try to pull the Black Rose Witch to her feet. It probably wouldn't be safe there for much longer.

Suddenly, she heard Yusei calling their names and felt a flood of relief as she turned to see him running towards them. Renei stood as he dropped to his knees beside Aki and gripped her shoulders. His voice was a layer of calm barely concealing his urgency to escape as he asked, "What happened here? Hey, Aki, come on, get a hold of yourself. We have to get out of here!"

She didn't seem to be listening, but instead continued to sob. Yusei looked up at Renei and said hastily, "It's too dangerous here now. Make a run for it!"

Renei was sick of Aki's shit and was not about to ditch Yusei just because he told her to. They had each other's backs no matter what. Instead, she hauled Aki to her feet and slapped her sharply across the face, startling the Psychic duelist.

"Bitch, you can cry later! Right now, let's go!"

Aki looked at her in stunned disbelief, but already Yusei was dragging her towards the exit. Renei followed them closely, trying to keep her feet as the building's shudders became more violent.

* * *

><p><strong>Jack Atlas brought his D-Wheel to a stop and ran up to the building he'd learned Carly had gone into. It was surrounded by debris and more was falling down. Something flashed in the sunlight, and he bent down to find that it was a pair of familiar-looking glasses. He picked them up and said, "These glasses? It can't be…!" He leaped to his feet and began looking around frantically. "Carly! Are you here?! Carly!"<strong>

"Mr. Atlas! It's dangerous here!" His manager, Mina, ran up behind him and tried to pull him away, but he shook her off.

"I don't care! Stop getting in my way!" He began looking for a way into the building, a horrible sinking feeling in his chest. What if she was hurt in there and needed his help? What kind of King was he if he couldn't even save her?

_This can't be happening! Carly!_

Jack's eyes closed, and he saw her face.

_She was laughing helplessly and shaking her head, saying, "Oh, Jack, I hope you can get yourself straightened out soon…"_

_Now her face was serious, but kind as she said gently, "After that battle with Yusei, the Jack that everyone knew from before is gone. From now on, you'll live your life as the real, honest-to-goodness Jack Atlas." She smiled cheerfully and tilted her head, adding, "And wouldn't it be great if you went on to become the real king again?"_

Jack shook his head, and his eyes began to burn as something in his chest began to ache. He shouted again, "Carly! Answer me, Carly!"

Mina screamed, "Look out!" Then she was suddenly yanking him backwards with an astonishing strength, and something huge crashed to the ground in front of him, throwing up a thick cloud of dust. Jack Atlas looked up to find enormous chunks of concrete and steel where he'd been standing a few minutes ago, and rushed at it, blindly punching at it with his fists. It was between him and Carly, dammit, and he was going to help her no matter what!

Mina was still pulling at him though, and demanding desperately that he stop. There was something about Sector Security and that he needed to get to safety. The only thing that managed to break through to him was her saying, "What would she want you to do, Jack? _What would she want for you?"_

That made him freeze. He looked again at the scene around him, which was quickly deteriorating into an apocalyptic landscape worse than Satellite. Carly would probably tell him to go somewhere safe and let the Sector Security do what they were trained to do in situations like this. He let Mina pull him away, then.

_Carly… I hope you make it out of here in one piece!_

* * *

><p>Yusei, Renei, and Aki burst out the doors of the Arcadia Movement and leaped down the steps. A colossal explosion of sound crashed behind them as massive chunks of concrete collapsed the entrance. Things fell quiet for a moment, and they all turned to look back at the place they had just escaped. Yusei's voice was subdued as he said, "Whoa, that was a close call…" Then his eyes widened and he grabbed Renei's arm, asking "Where's Ruka and Rua?!"<p>

She looked around, but didn't see them in sight. "I brought them down here before coming back after you and Aki. They should be with my roommates, Liquid and Okita. Those guys promised to be here to meet us. They probably took off as soon as whatever hit the building showed up."

Yusei relaxed marginally and he let go of her arm. "They took off with your friends?" Renei nodded, deciding not to tell him that Liquid and Okita were more of random psychic strangers who she'd been confined with at night that hadn't killed her in her sleep. Yusei glanced at Aki, who was pale and breathing shallowly, eyes glazed over. She seemed on the verge of collapse, and Yusei pulled her arm over his shoulder.

"We'd better get Aki to a doctor. Let's get a move on. We should be safe at Blister's apartment. There's probably a doctor near there, too."

Renei nodded and moved to Aki's other side to take some of the girl's weight.

"Lead on, Yusei. I don't know where the hell I'm going from here, and I don't want to be picked up by any Securities."

Right on cue, she began to hear their sirens in the distance. Yusei nodded and, together, they began to leave the scene of the disaster.

* * *

><p><em><strong>Author's Note<strong>__**: These chapters just keep getting longer and longer… Sorry guys, I'm just going with the narrative flow.**_

_**I don't mind the little sneaking mini-games. They're just damn hard to write when the setting clearly indicates that only somebody who is dead wouldn't notice the character sneaking by. Seriously, tiled surfaces echo like crazy, and the halls in the Arcadia Movement are insanely well-lit. If you can successfully hide from a patrolling psychic in that kind of place, then you need to legit apply for some secret intelligence organization or black ops or something. Unless it's because you're a ghost. I think government and military agencies are prejudiced against hiring ghosts.**_


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